The Stuck Song Syndrome: A Case of Musical Obsessions

Testing the Two-Factor Model of Musical Obsessions: Can They Be Predicted by the Interaction Between Frequency and Dysfunctional Interpretations of Common Earworms?

Musical obsessions can be conceptualized as a severe form of intrusive musical imagery (IMI). The two-factor model of musical obsessions proposes that musical obsessions result from the interaction of the frequency of IMI and dysfunctional interpretations of IMI. The aim of this study was to evaluate the predictions of the two-factor model. A total of 372 participants (291 without a known diagnosis of obsessive–compulsive disorder [OCD] and 81 with a lifetime diagnosis of OCD) completed online questionnaires about the frequency of IMI, their dysfunctional interpretations, and their severity. We specified a model with severity of IMI as outcome and interpretations and frequency as predictors and controlled for the type of sample. The interaction between frequency and dysfunctional interpretations predicted severity of IMI, however in another direction than suggested. Future studies should include experimental and longitudinal designs and pay particular attention to low-frequency IMI and their role in musical obsessions.

A Systematic Review of Scientific Studies and Case Reports on Music and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a severe psychiatric disorder, which can be associated with music-related symptoms. Music may also be used as an adjunct treatment for OCD. Following the PRISMA guidelines, we performed a systematic literature review exploring the relationship between music and OCD by using three online databases: PubMed, the Web of Science, and PsycINFO. The search terms were "obsessive compulsive disorder", "OCD", "music", and "music therapy". A total of 27 articles were utilised (n = 650 patients/study participants) and grouped into three categories. The first category comprised case reports of patients with musical obsessions in patients with OCD. Most patients were treated with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or a combination of an SSRI and another pharmacological or a non-pharmacological treatment, with variable success. Studies on the music perception of people with OCD or obsessive-compulsive personality traits represented the second category. People with OCD or obsessive-compulsive personality traits seem to be more sensitive to tense music and were found to have an increased desire for harmony in music. Three small studies on music therapy in people with OCD constituted the third category. These studies suggest that patients with OCD might benefit from music therapy, which includes listening to music.

Palinacousis: an eloquent symptom of temporal lobe lesion

A 24-year-old woman was referred to us for an intracranial haemorrhage in the left temporal lobe caused by a ruptured cavernous malformation; the bleeding extended over the left Heschl's gyrus and Wernicke area. On admission, the patient had global aphasia. A few days later, she spontaneously improved but remained with mild residual comprehensive dysphasia. She reported hearing, in her right ear, recently heard words, which is consistent with palinacousis. Auditory acuity testing was normal. EEG showed focal slowing in the left temporal region with no epileptiform activity. During awake surgery for resection of the cavernous malformation, stimulation of the superior temporal gyrus did not provoke palinacousis. The patient made good recovery with complete resolution of the aphasia and no recurrence of palinacousis. We aimed to review this phenomenon and to provide a systematic review of the current literature.

New Insights Into the Anatomy, Connectivity and Clinical Implications of the Middle Longitudinal Fasciculus

The middle longitudinal fascicle (MdLF) is a long, associative white matter tract connecting the superior temporal gyrus (STG) with the parietal and occipital lobe. Previous studies show different cortical terminations, and a possible segmentation pattern of the tract. In this study, we performed a post-mortem white matter dissection of 12 human hemispheres and an in vivo deterministic fiber tracking of 24 subjects acquired from the Human Connectome Project to establish whether a constant organization of fibers exists among the MdLF subcomponents and to acquire anatomical information on each subcomponent. Moreover, two clinical cases of brain tumors impinged on MdLF territories are reported to further discuss the anatomical results in light of previously published data on the functional involvement of this bundle. The main finding is that the MdLF is consistently organized into two layers: an antero-ventral segment (aMdLF) connecting the anterior STG (including temporal pole and planum polare) and the extrastriate lateral occipital cortex, and a posterior-dorsal segment (pMdLF) connecting the posterior STG, anterior transverse temporal gyrus and planum temporale with the superior parietal lobule and lateral occipital cortex. The anatomical connectivity pattern and quantitative differences between the MdLF subcomponents along with the clinical cases reported in this paper support the role of MdLF in high-order functions related to acoustic information. We suggest that pMdLF may contribute to the learning process associated with verbal-auditory stimuli, especially on left side, while aMdLF may play a role in processing/retrieving auditory information already consolidated within the temporal lobe.