AUTHOR=Honda Shiori , Noda Yoshihiro , Matsushita Karin , Tarumi Ryosuke , Nomiyama Natsumi , Tsugawa Sakiko , Tobari Yui , Hondo Nobuaki , Saito Keisuke , Mimura Masaru , Fujii Shinya , Nakajima Shinichiro 

TITLE=Glutamatergic neurometabolite levels in the caudate are associated with the ability of rhythm production

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neuroscience

VOLUME=Volume 17 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnins.2023.1196805

DOI=10.3389/fnins.2023.1196805

ISSN=1662-453X

ABSTRACT=Glutamatergic neurometabolites play important roles in the basal ganglia, a hub of the brain networks involved in musical rhythm processing. We aimed to investigate the relationship between rhythm processing abilities and glutamatergic neurometabolites in the caudate as a region of interest and the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) as a control region in healthy individuals employing proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Rhythm processing ability was assessed by the Harvard Beat Assessment Test (H-BAT). As a result, we found negative correlations between the production part of the Beat Saliency Test in the H-BAT and glutamate and glutamine levels in the caudate (r=-0.693, p=0.002) whereas there was no such association in the dACC. These results suggest that higher glutamatergic neurometabolite levels in the caudate may contribute to rhythm processing, especially the ability to produce meter in music precisely.