Newborn babies can anticipate rhythm in music, study suggests

Researchers used EEG on 49 sleeping newborns and found brain responses that tracked rhythmic but not melodic patterns in original musical excerpts, while shuffled versions did not elicit the same responses.

Researchers report that newborn babies show brain activity consistent with anticipating rhythmic patterns in music. The study, published in PLOS Biology, recorded electroencephalography (EEG) from 49 sleeping newborns fitted with earphones. The team played original pieces by Bach and versions where pitches and note timings were shuffled, and used computer models to estimate how surprising each note was based on preceding rhythm or melody. The work explores whether very young brains detect rhythm, melody, or both. Key findings: - EEG recordings were taken from 49 sleeping newborns while they heard original musical excerpts and shuffled versions where pitches and timings were randomised. - Researchers used computational models to estimate how surprising each note was given preceding rhythmic or melodic structure and compared those estimates with EEG signals. - Brain activity reflected surprises in rhythm for the original musical pieces but did not show corresponding responses to melodic surprises. - No clear neural responses to rhythm or melody were observed for the shuffled (randomised) versions of the music. - The authors note that prenatal exposure to regular rhythms, such as the mother's heartbeat and movement, may contribute to early rhythm sensitivity. - The study was led by Dr Roberta Bianco of the Italian Institute of Technology and was commented on by external researchers, including Giovanni Di Liberto and Usha Goswami. Summary: The results indicate newborns show neural responses that track rhythmic patterns in real music but not melodic structure. Undetermined at this time.