. Only within the last decade have scientists acquired the capability to look into the human brain in detail. This capability stemmed from the creation of machines collectively called brain scanners.Music and brain research rely heavily on the ability of scientists to "see" into the human mind. For a long period of time, brain scientists had to rely on archaic techniques to conduct research. However, with the recent invention of CT, MRI, and PET scanners, scientists are finally able to see the human brain work in detail. The CT scanner and MRI scanner are usually restricted to medical diagnosis use. But neuroscientists have liberally employed the help of the positron emission tomography, or PET, scanner.PET scanners allow researchers to peer inside a brain by tracking radioactively labeled oxygen. Since brain activity requires large amounts of oxygen, neuroscientists can see where activity is taking place by watching where the radioactively labeled oxygen is traveling. They then take a snapshot of the brain and examine it to determine their results. Especially in the study of music appreciation, this tool has become indispensable.At the Montreal Neurological Institute, neuroscientist Robert J. Zatorre and his colleagues are exploring what parts of the brain are stimulated by music. "Brain areas involved in hearing, recall, and even vision - particularly those in the right hemisphere - coordinate musical perception and memory," Zatorre tells us. (Bower 260) His group studied 12 adult volunteers, connecting them to PET scanners while they listened to snatches of music. He found that simply listening to melodies caused blood flow increases in the brain's right temporal lobe, which is the area associated with hearing. There was also increased brain activity in the area at the back of the right hemisphere, previously associated with vision. Since all volunteers kept their eyes closed during the study, Zatorre theorizes that th...
