Scientists believe they may be closer to understanding why some people like pop music and others like classical.

Psychiatric consultant Dr Raj Persaud of Maudsley Hospital in London believes his studies of dementia patients show a link between taste and "hard-nosed intellectual function" - in other words, appreciation of classical music may require more brain power.

Persaud has observed that, as brain power diminishes in dementia patients, they sometimes go from liking classical to pop - but not the other way round.

"What this may mean is that you require more grey matter to appreciate classical music and that you don't need so much grey matter to appreciate pop music, so as you lose grey matter your taste in music changes accordingly," said Dr Persaud.

The thesis, outline in the June issue of BBC Music Magazine, has had support from Italian scholars.

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Neurologist Dr Giovanni Frisoni has written in the journal Neurology that dementia's damage to the frontal lobes of the brain - the part most involved in complex judgments and delaying gratification - might lead to the emergence of more basic musical likes and dislikes.

Dr Frisoni wrote: "Pop music is composed to appeal to the widest possible audience.

'Cultural factors'

"The frontal lesion of our patients might have damaged the circuits that were inhibiting this appeal."

But Dr Frisoni adds: "But we do not wish to imply that pop music listeners have frontal dysfunction, as musical taste relies on extremely complex individual, social and cultural factors."

Dr Susan Hallam of London's Institute of Education - which has extensively researched the connection between music and children's attention span - gave a cautious welcome to the idea.

"We need a lot more research before drawing firm conclusions.

"I know some highly academic people who like pop music," Dr Hallam told the Independent On Sunday.