• HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
Thursday, October 23, 2025
BIOENGINEER.ORG
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
No Result
View All Result
Bioengineer.org
No Result
View All Result
Home NEWS Science News Chemistry

Mathematical framework explores how the brain keeps a beat

Bioengineer by Bioengineer
May 9, 2019
in Chemistry
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedinShare on RedditShare on Telegram

New ‘neuronal metronome’ suggests how the brain might learn a rhythm, not just perceive it

A new mathematical model demonstrates how neurons in the brain could work together to learn and keep a musical beat. The framework, developed by Amitabha Bose of New Jersey Institute of Technology and Aine Byrne and John Rinzel of New York University, is described in PLOS Computational Biology.

Many experimental studies have established which brain areas are active when a person listens to music and discerns a beat. However, the neuronal mechanisms underlying the brain’s ability to learn a beat–and then keep it after the music stops–are unknown. Bose and his colleagues set out to explore what these neuronal mechanisms might be.

Using neurobiological principles, the researchers built a mathematical model of a group of neurons that can cooperate to learn a musical beat from a rhythmic stimulus, and keep the beat after the stimulus stops. The model demonstrates how a network of neurons could act as a “neuronal metronome” by accurately estimating time intervals between beats within tens of millisecond accuracy. This metronome relies on rhythmic brain activity patterns known as gamma oscillations to keep track of time.

“We listen to music and within a few measures our body moves to the beat,” says Rinzel. “Our model suggests how the brain might learn a rhythm and learn it so fast.”

Next, the researchers plan to test their model with real-world psychoacoustic experiments and electroencephalogram (EEG) tests, which reveal activity in a person’s brain. These experiments will show how accurately the model might reflect actual neuronal mechanisms involved in learning a beat.

“Our findings provide new insights into how the brain might synthesize prior knowledge to make predictions about upcoming events, specifically in the realm of musical rhythm and keeping time,” Bose says. Beyond music, the new model could help improve understanding of conditions in which the ability to accurately estimate time is impaired, such as in Parkinson’s disease.

###

Peer-reviewed / Simulation/modeling / N/A

In your coverage please use this URL to provide access to the freely available article in PLOS Computational Biology:
https://journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol/article?id=10.1371/journal.pcbi.1006450

Citation: Bose A, Byrne Á, Rinzel J (2019) A neuromechanistic model for rhythmic beat generation. PLoS Comput Biol 15(5): e1006450. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1006450

Funding: The authors A Bose and JR received no specific funding for this work. A Byrne was funded by the Swartz Foundation on a postdoctoral fellowship, http://www.theswartzfoundation.org/. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Media Contact
Amitabha Bose
[email protected]
http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1006450

Tags: Algorithms/ModelsArts/CultureBiochemistryBiologyBiomechanics/BiophysicsHearing/SpeechMedicine/HealthneurobiologyNeurochemistryPhysiology
Share12Tweet8Share2ShareShareShare2

Related Posts

Nano-biochar Enables Rice Roots to Convert Toxic Silver Ions into Safer Nanoparticles

Nano-biochar Enables Rice Roots to Convert Toxic Silver Ions into Safer Nanoparticles

October 23, 2025
Neutrino ‘Flavors’ Could Unlock the Universe’s Greatest Mysteries

Neutrino ‘Flavors’ Could Unlock the Universe’s Greatest Mysteries

October 22, 2025

Underwater Thermal Vents Could Be the Cradle of Life’s Earliest Molecular Precursors

October 22, 2025

New Bacterium Harnesses Spent Battery Waste, Paving the Way for Self-Sufficient Battery Recycling

October 22, 2025
Please login to join discussion

POPULAR NEWS

  • Sperm MicroRNAs: Crucial Mediators of Paternal Exercise Capacity Transmission

    1275 shares
    Share 509 Tweet 318
  • Stinkbug Leg Organ Hosts Symbiotic Fungi That Protect Eggs from Parasitic Wasps

    306 shares
    Share 122 Tweet 77
  • ESMO 2025: mRNA COVID Vaccines Enhance Efficacy of Cancer Immunotherapy

    146 shares
    Share 58 Tweet 37
  • New Study Suggests ALS and MS May Stem from Common Environmental Factor

    132 shares
    Share 53 Tweet 33

About

We bring you the latest biotechnology news from best research centers and universities around the world. Check our website.

Follow us

Recent News

Unveiling Cutting-Edge Reinforcement Learning Algorithms

Endangered Kangaroo Island Ground-Dweller Spotted in Trees: A Surprising Discovery

Boosting Auxin Production in Streptomyces for Plant Growth

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 66 other subscribers
  • Contact Us

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Homepages
    • Home Page 1
    • Home Page 2
  • News
  • National
  • Business
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Science

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.