Other neuroscientists such as McDermott have further explored the discovery by defining that in the auditory cortex there is also a “set” of neurons that fire and send their impulses only in the presence of music! These are neurons that specialize precisely for musical notes and it is likely that they emerge during development, in response to the massive exposure to music that most of us undergo during our lives. Music experienced “live” therefore has both the power to synchronize the brain waves emitted by those present and to activate mirror-echo neurons, which promote alignment on a physical and expressive level. Synchronized brains, similar body postures and aligned facial expressions favor the dissolution of any distance, raising the level of empathy immeasurably: people unite around the rhythm of the music that is echoing at that moment, almost as if it were a heartbeat capable of reverberating through the veins. [...by Monica Crivelli]
