Rats bop to the beat of music just like humans, according to new research from the University of Tokyo. Until now, beat synchronicity, the ability to recognise a song鈥檚 rhythm, was thought uniquely human.
In the study, rats were played music at increasing speed whilst accelerometers measured movement. The results showed the rats moving their heads in time with the music and, just like their human counterparts, the optimal beat was around 120 bpm, suggesting a rat鈥檚 auditory cortex works in ways similar to a human.
This research could help understand why humans and rats enjoy listening to music. 鈥淣ext, I would like to reveal how other musical properties such as melody and harmony relate to the dynamics of the brain鈥, says Hirokazu Takahashi, one of the paper’s authors.
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