EEG recordings reveal that when we imagine melodies, our brains exhibit pretty much the same activity as when we listen to them.

When we listen to a melody and encounter a pause, our brains predict what note comes next -- and then subconsciously check that against the next note that plays.

EEG activity is so closely aligned with melodies that researchers can identify a Bach melody being imagined.

It seems that when it comes to the brain, music has its own set of keys to the place. (No pun intended.) Our brains, and particularly our emotions, respond to music in a uniquely direct manner that's not yet understood. A pair of new studies from researchers at the Society for Neuroscience report what happens electrically in the brain when we imagine or listen to music.Together, the two studies describe how listening to musical melodies activates an intriguing prediction/recognition system. When there is a pause between notes, the brain makes a prediction about the next note to come. Co-author Giovanni Di Liberto, speaking to Inverse, says the study is about more than just music -- it provides a new look at how imagination may work.