Reduced γ-aminobutyric acid in the superior temporal gyrus is associated with absolute pitch.

Absolute pitch (AP) is the ability to label the pitch of tones without any reference tones. Previous studies have shown that the anatomical and functional basis of AP exists in the superior temporal gyrus (STG), although the associated neurotransmitters remain unknown. We used proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy to quantify the concentration of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), an inhibitory neurotransmitter, in the bilateral STG of adult AP possessor and non-AP possessors.

Modulation of Emotional Category Induced by Temporal Factors in Emotion Recognition.

Categorical perception (CP), the perceptual experience whereby continuous sensory phenomena are perceived as distinct and separate percepts, is one of the most characteristic features of information processing in human cognition. CP is considered as the result of the integration of the top-down processing including background knowledge and verbal labeling and the bottom-up processing such as physical characteristics of the sensory signal. However, the underlying mechanisms governing the integration remain unclear.