Brain correlates of music-evoked emotions
Stefan Koelsch · Nature Reviews Neuroscience · 2014 · Narrative review
Original publication · Original publication · Original publication
Recorded summary
Neuroimaging research links music-evoked emotions to networks involving reward, autonomic regulation and emotional processing, including the nucleus accumbens, amygdala and hypothalamus. The review examines how musical structure and expectation engage these systems.
Recorded limitations
A review of mechanisms and brain responses; it does not estimate clinical efficacy for a defined music-therapy programme.
Evidence and provenance
Chapter Trust Factor uses a minimum of three distinct qualifying studies. Publication records retain their own evidence and assessment.
Study design and assessment
- design
- Narrative review
- assessment
- category
- review
- peer Reviewed
- true
- basis
- Narrative review. No masked human randomized trial classification is assigned.
- sources
https://www.nature.com/articles/nrn3666 · https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn3666 · https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24552785/
- reviewed At
- 2026-10-23
- trust Factor
- score
- 1
- scope
- Paper
- status
- assessed
- randomized Controlled Trial
- false
- blinding
- not-applicable
- peer Reviewed
- true
- basis
- Narrative review. No masked human randomized trial classification is assigned.
- sources
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24552785/ · https://www.nature.com/articles/nrn3666 · https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn3666
- review Scope
- Existing publication-specific assessments and bibliographic indexing; no blanket full-text appraisal.
- assessed At
- 2026-10-27
- jadad
- status
- unassessed
- score
- Not recorded
- evidence
- evidence Type
- Brain & nervous system
- sample
- Human neuroimaging literature
- measurement
- Review of music-evoked emotion and brain activity
- measured Genes
- None recorded
- relationship Note
- A review of mechanisms and brain responses; it does not estimate clinical efficacy for a defined music-therapy programme.
- source URLs
https://www.nature.com/articles/nrn3666 · https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn3666 · https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24552785/
- checked At
- 2026-10-23
Topics and recorded topic scores
- key
- sound:vii
- title
- Music, heart-rate variability, cognition, emotional regulation, pain and mental health
- collection
- sound
- trust Score
- 3
Citation snapshot and identifiers
- id
- pmid-24552785
- doi
- 10.1038/nrn3666
- pmid
- 24552785
- citation Snapshot
- count
- 1237
- source
- Crossref
- retrieved At
- 2026-10-23
- url
- https://api.crossref.org/works/10.1038/nrn3666
- citations By Collection
- sound
- 1237
Complete approved library record
- id
- pmid-24552785
- aliases
- None recorded
- title
- Brain correlates of music-evoked emotions
- journal
- Nature Reviews Neuroscience
- publisher Family
- nature
- publisher Family Label
- Nature Portfolio
- neurotransmitters
Dopamine
- year
- 2014
- authors
- Stefan Koelsch
- design
- Narrative review
- kind
- Review
- identity Conflict
- Not recorded
- doi
- 10.1038/nrn3666
- pmid
- 24552785
- urls
https://www.nature.com/articles/nrn3666 · https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn3666 · https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24552785/
- collections
sound
- categories
Brain & nervous system
- targets
- None recorded
- priority
- 1
- quotes
- None recorded
- summary
- Neuroimaging research links music-evoked emotions to networks involving reward, autonomic regulation and emotional processing, including the nucleus accumbens, amygdala and hypothalamus. The review examines how musical structure and expectation engage these systems.
- limitation
- A review of mechanisms and brain responses; it does not estimate clinical efficacy for a defined music-therapy programme.
- citation Count
- 1237
- citation Snapshot
- count
- 1237
- source
- Crossref
- retrieved At
- 2026-10-23
- url
- https://api.crossref.org/works/10.1038/nrn3666
- study Design Assessment
- category
- review
- peer Reviewed
- true
- basis
- Narrative review. No masked human randomized trial classification is assigned.
- sources
https://www.nature.com/articles/nrn3666 · https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn3666 · https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24552785/
- reviewed At
- 2026-10-23
- paper Trust Assessment
- score
- 1
- scope
- Paper
- status
- assessed
- randomized Controlled Trial
- false
- blinding
- not-applicable
- peer Reviewed
- true
- basis
- Narrative review. No masked human randomized trial classification is assigned.
- sources
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24552785/ · https://www.nature.com/articles/nrn3666 · https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn3666
- review Scope
- Existing publication-specific assessments and bibliographic indexing; no blanket full-text appraisal.
- assessed At
- 2026-10-27
- citations By Collection
- sound
- 1237
- topics
- key
- sound:vii
- title
- Music, heart-rate variability, cognition, emotional regulation, pain and mental health
- collection
- sound
- trust Score
- 3
- journal Key
- naturereviewsneuroscience
- journal Label
- Nature Reviews Neuroscience
- chapter Entries
- title
- Brain correlates of music-evoked emotions
- journal
- Nature Reviews Neuroscience
- year
- 2014
- authors
- Stefan Koelsch
- design
- Narrative review
- urls
https://www.nature.com/articles/nrn3666 · https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn3666 · https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24552785/
- doi
- 10.1038/nrn3666
- pmid
- 24552785
- targets
- None recorded
- neurotransmitters
Dopamine
- categories
Brain & nervous system
- citation Count
- 1237
- citation Snapshot
- count
- 1237
- source
- Crossref
- retrieved At
- 2026-10-23
- url
- https://api.crossref.org/works/10.1038/nrn3666
- study Design Assessment
- category
- review
- peer Reviewed
- true
- basis
- Narrative review. No masked human randomized trial classification is assigned.
- sources
https://www.nature.com/articles/nrn3666 · https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn3666 · https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24552785/
- reviewed At
- 2026-10-23
- evidence
- evidence Type
- Brain & nervous system
- sample
- Human neuroimaging literature
- measurement
- Review of music-evoked emotion and brain activity
- measured Genes
- None recorded
- relationship Note
- A review of mechanisms and brain responses; it does not estimate clinical efficacy for a defined music-therapy programme.
- source URLs
https://www.nature.com/articles/nrn3666 · https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn3666 · https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24552785/
- checked At
- 2026-10-23
- id
- sound-vii-pmid-24552785
- record Id
- pmid-24552785
- quotes
- None recorded
- source Pages
- None recorded
- summary
- Neuroimaging research links music-evoked emotions to networks involving reward, autonomic regulation and emotional processing, including the nucleus accumbens, amygdala and hypothalamus. The review examines how musical structure and expectation engage these systems.
- limitation
- A review of mechanisms and brain responses; it does not estimate clinical efficacy for a defined music-therapy programme.
- paper Trust Assessment
- score
- 1
- scope
- Paper
- status
- assessed
- randomized Controlled Trial
- false
- blinding
- not-applicable
- peer Reviewed
- true
- basis
- Narrative review. No masked human randomized trial classification is assigned.
- sources
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24552785/ · https://www.nature.com/articles/nrn3666 · https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn3666
- review Scope
- Existing publication-specific assessments and bibliographic indexing; no blanket full-text appraisal.
- assessed At
- 2026-10-27
- collection
- sound
- chapter Number
- 2
- topic Id
- vii
- topic Title
- Music, heart-rate variability, cognition, emotional regulation, pain and mental health
- trust Score
- 3
- evidence
- evidence Type
- Brain & nervous system
- sample
- Human neuroimaging literature
- measurement
- Review of music-evoked emotion and brain activity
- measured Genes
- None recorded
- relationship Note
- A review of mechanisms and brain responses; it does not estimate clinical efficacy for a defined music-therapy programme.
- source URLs
https://www.nature.com/articles/nrn3666 · https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn3666 · https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24552785/
- checked At
- 2026-10-23
- jadad
- status
- unassessed
- score
- Not recorded
- condition Evidence
- None recorded
- conditions
- None recorded
- topic Trust Scores
3
- full Text
- status
- not-indexed
- retrieval Available
- false