Brain areas involved in listening to music up to the research of Daniel Levitin are the same as those involved in other pleasurable activities such as orgasms for example.
OK now I understand why some people stop to listen music after some age they just get sclerotic to soon and others who listen only the oldies from their youth are probably refreshing with nostalgia their old good memories. ;-)

"As a rock producer, Daniel Levitin worked with Stevie Wonder, the Grateful Dead and Chris Isaak. But the music business began to change, and a disillusioned Levitin turned to academia, where a career in neuroscience beckoned.

Sixteen years after he made the switch, Levitin is an associate professor at McGill University in Montreal and one of the world's leading experts in cognitive music perception.

In his new book, This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession , Levitin explores research into how our brains process the works of artists as varied as Beethoven, the Beatles and Britney Spears, and why they make us feel so good. Wired News picks his brain about how it all works."
Quote from Wire Magazine
Read the rest of the story @ Wire Magazine

Image: Courtesy of Vinod Menon and Daniel J. Levitin