CHEN-GIA TSAILi, Chia WeiChia WeiLi2019-10-172019-10-172019-03-2303043940https://scholars.lib.ntu.edu.tw/handle/123456789/426836© 2018 In human music, the tonality (key) may change to punctuate sectional structures and to produce emotional effects. A tonality change would sound “smoother” when it is supported by appropriate harmony. This functional magnetic resonance imaging study examined the neural substrates of the processing of tonality change. We used a 2 × 2 factorial design with factors tonality change (tonality changed versus tonality unchanged) and harmonization (harmonized versus unharmonized). Participants were asked to covertly sing the pitch names in the movable-do system along with the heard melody. Repetitions of this melody were associated with or without a tonality change, with equal probability in a pseudo-random order. Our result demonstrated that tonality changes elicited increased activation in the left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and left temporal pole. When a tonality change occurred, the left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex might underpin the cognitive control for retrieving the pitch-naming rule of the new tonality, whereas the left temporal pole might integrate the melodic/harmonic context and emotional meanings of music. This study provides a new insight into the cognitive and emotional processing of music.Harmonization | Temporal pole | Tonality change | Ventrolateral prefrontal cortexjournal article10.1016/j.neulet.2018.12.019305575952-s2.0-85059137295WOS:000463125800026https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/85059137295