NeuroImage
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The aim of the present study was the investigation of neural correlates of music processing with fMRI. Chord sequences were presented to the participants, infrequently containing unexpected musical events. ⋯ To what extent this network might also be activated by the processing of non-linguistic information has remained unknown. The present fMRI-data reveal that the human brain employs this neuronal network also for the processing of musical information, suggesting that the cortical network known to support language processing is less domain-specific than previously believed.
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Functional MRI (fMRI) can detect blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) hemodynamic responses secondary to local neuronal activity. The most commonly used method for detecting fMRI signals is the gradient-echo echo-planar imaging (EPI) technique because of its sensitivity and speed. However, it is known that much of the signal obtained with this approach arises from large veins, with additional contribution from the capillaries and venules. ⋯ This method is based on task-induced changes of the apparent diffusion coefficients (ADC), a signal that we demonstrate is generated in vascular compartments that only partially overlap with those generating the BOLD signal. The approach allows both the ADC-based maps and the more commonly used BOLD-based maps to be acquired simultaneously. The spatial overlap between these maps can be used to create composite maps that permit improved localization of the underlying neuronal activity patterns by identifying signals generated in those vascular components that are in closest proximity to the active neuronal populations of interest.