Mozart’s music between predictability and surprise: results of an experimental research based on electroencephalography, entropy and Hurst exponent

OBJECTIVE: The main goal of our work was to simultaneously study musical and electroencephalogram (EEG) signal while listening to Mozart’s K448 Sonata, a piece known for the “Mozart effect”, with the aim to better understand the reasons of beneficial effect of music on the brain. DESIGN: To this purpose, in a small sample of young healthy subjects, we examined the EEG correlates of modifications of brain activity, also applying the concepts of entropy and Hurst exponent H to K448 Sonata compared to a selection of Mozart’s excerpts, so that to expose the peculiar characteristics of this compositions in terms of predictability and surprise for the listener RESULTS: Spectral analysis showed that mean beta rhythm significantly grew during the listening to K448, and that this effect remaining immediately after, but to a lesser extent. Furthermore, we found that maximum values of entropy and lower values of H were reached by K448 compared to a selection of Mozart’s pieces. CONCLUSIONS: The results support the hypothesis of an overall effect of activation of the superior cortical functions during listening to K448, and immediately afterwards, in healthy young adults, and of a greater complexity of this sonata compared to a selection of Mozart’s pieces.