However, they additionally recruited the right inferior frontal cortex (IFG), an area involved in working memory retrieval. In the same study, musicians without AP recruited this region while performing a pitch-interval-labeling task. Neuroimaging studies revealed that AP possessors exhibit comparatively thinner cortical thickness there and selectively recruit this particular brain region during mere tone listening. In the context of AP, the posterior DLPFC may be responsible for the process underlying the association between categorized pitches and verbal labels or other abstract or sensorimotor codes in other words, the pitch-labeling process. This area drives conditional associative learning and memory. Another brain structure reported to be related to AP is the left posterior dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Neuroimaging studies have found an increased leftward asymmetry of the PT, possibly underlying this so-called “categorical pitch perception” in AP. In AP possessors, the PT is likely responsible for a higher resolution in the pitch perception of categories in other words, the encoding of tones within narrower long-term stored categories. One brain structure frequently reported to contribute to AP is the planum temporale (PT), a region that covers the superior temporal plane posterior to the Heschl’s gyrus and is involved in language and higher auditory functions.

In contrast, lesser consensus exists on the exact mechanisms and involved brain structures driving AP. There is considerable scientific consensus on its acquisition namely that AP emerges from an interplay of a certain genetic predisposition and specific environmental inputs and learning factors (i.e., music engagement, language exposure) that operate within a sensitive period during childhood development. This ability is sparsely distributed in the population (<1%) but yet bears phylogenetic and ontogenetic significance. Absolute pitch (AP) is the ability to effortlessly identify the chroma of a tone without the aid of any reference pitch.

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