Dear M.,

If you find this topic interesting, you may be interested in reading, " This is Your Brain on Music," by former professional musician turned Neurological Researcher, Daniel J. Levitin. On page 214, he discusses how the rythmic elements of music, "typically take on a more regular, hypnotic quality that can induce trance states." ... "When the beat is predictable, neural circuits in the basal ganglia, (the habit and motor ritual circuits), as well as regions of the cerebellum that connect to the basil ganglia, can become entrained by the music, with neurons firing synchronously with the beat."

On page 226 he writes, "The power of music to challenge the prediction centers of our prefrontal cortex, to simultaniously stimulate emotional centers in the limbic system and activate motor systems in our basil ganglia and cerebellum serves to tie a aesthetic knot around these different neurochemical states of our being, to unite our reptilian brain with our primate and human brain, to bind our thoughts to movement, memory, hopes and desires."

Thanks for bring up this often overlooked topic.

Vicky