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SYMPTOMS | PATHOMECHANISMS | HISTORY

Symptoms

Transitory aura symptoms

Persistent aura symptoms

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Def. pers. aura

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Author: Klaus Podoll, Markus Dahlem, Sofia Greene	21. February 2010
Edited by: Klaus Podoll, Markus Dahlem, Sofia Greene

Musical palinacousis

Hans-Hermann Meyer (1909-2002), illustration courtesy of Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Clinic of Saarland, 66421 Homburg/Saar, Germany (larger image see here)

Palinacousis (or palinacusis) is an auditory illusion in which external acoustic stimuli such as speech, music or other environmental sounds persist or recur for variable periods of time after the initial acoustic stimulus has ended. Term and concept were introduced independently by Meyer (1962) in Germany, Bender and Diamond (1965) in the US, and Bekény and Péter (1973) in Hungary. The most comprehensive study of this rare phenomenon is owed to Jacobs et al. (1973) who reported a series of 7 cases, including the first observation of musical palinacousis.

Persistent musical palinacusis was reported by 2 subjects (#189, #425).

After having read about the rare migraine aura symptom of musical hallucinations on a webpage of this website, MisterClean12 (subject #189) wrote: "I also noticed an 'interesting' item on your site. It was that sometimes music can be part of the aura. Well, since mid-July 2006 I have had continuous songs in my head. I do not perceive them as having come from the environment, and if I am speaking to someone or listening to someone else speak (or to TV or CD) then I don't hear the songs. Only when my mind is quiet do I hear them. They are usually songs I have listed to within the past 24 hours or so. They have remained stable since mid-July 2006..., have not grown in intensity, etc. They are not disabling or disturbing." (Podoll, 2010)

Just as palinoptic images are often parts of a whole (Bender et al., 1968), musical palinacousis may feature only a part of a song rather than the full musical piece. "I have a... condition", explained MisterClean12 (subject #189), "in which music I listen to will continue to replay in my head for hours. Really, it never stops. I even wake up with a song in my head. It's always what I have listened to in the past day or so. I love music but it can get old at times. But, on the bright side, I'm never without tunes... For me, it's always just a part [of a full song] that keeps looping... For me, it very, very rarely will stop when I am very tired, but usually it goes nonstop." (Podoll, 2010)

Mat (subject #425) reported: "Since late August 2006 I have persistent 'earworms'. I could even tell you the exact day when it occurred for the first time: August 29, 2006. Songs, advertisements, etc. are rehearsed in my head for hours. (Everyone has this sometimes, but not daily!?) When I hear a song, it is rehearsed in my head. But it can also be that I awake in the morning and a current title is buzzing in my head. All pieces of music are familiar to me even if some are already somewhat older. Actually the earworms always come when I think about nothing and just relax, and this is quite exhausting." (Podoll, 2010)

F.C. Rose, Neurology of Music, 2010.

References

Bekény G, Péter A. Meningocerebral cysticercosis with auditory perseveration (palinacusis). Confin Neurol 1973; 35: 236-247.
Bender MB, Diamond SP. An analysis of auditory perceptual defects with observations on the localization of dysfunction. Brain 1965; 88: 675-686.
Bender MB, Feldman M, Sobin AJ. Palinopsia. Brain 1968; 91: 321-338.
Jacobs L, Feldman M, Diamond SP, Bender MB. Palinacousis: persistent or recurring auditory sensations. Cortex 1973; 9: 275-287.
Meyer H-H. Zur Klinik der Wahrnehmungsstörungen (Psychopathologische Phänomene bei temporaler Epilepsie). In: Kranz H (ed) Psychopathologie heute. Stuttgart, Thieme 1962, 193-204.
Podoll K. Musical palinacousis as an aura symptom in persistent aura without infarction. In: Rose FC (ed) The Neurology of Music. Academic Press, London 2010 (in press) [PDF]

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