Objectives: Rauscher et al., in 1993, reported that exposure to brief periods (10 minutes) of a Mozart piano sonata (K448) is able to produce a significant short-term enhancement of spatial-temporal reasoning performances in college students. Several studies have, however, been unable to confirm the existence of this "Mozart effect" on cognitive abilities, despite two positive reports from the original laboratory. Other studies have explained the "Mozart effect" as linked to changes in arousal, and have also proposed a central dopamine activation as the mechanism of action for the music enhancement effect on cognitive performances. The present study attempts to replicate the original positive findings of Rauscher et al. on the effect of Mozart's music on spatial-temporal abilities and also to examine the effects of music on the dopamine systems by measuring blink-rate, a peripheral non-invasive indicator of central dopamine function. Methods: Using a mixed design, 118 normal volunteers (age 22.4 years ± 2.4 SD) were randomly exposed to one of these three conditions (10 minutes each): Mozart music (K448), Jazz music (Chet Baker & Art Pepper), Silence. Subjects were evaluated before and after exposure to the experimental conditions using the Raven Progressive Matrices and the IST (Intelligence Structure Test). Vertical and horizontal electro-oculograms (EOGs) were recorded on a Grass Model 78 polygraph. Eye blink was defined as a sharp high amplitude wave ≥ 100 microV and < 400 msec in duration. EOG records were obtained in an air-conditioned room with indoor light of 150 lux at the level of the subject's eye. Eye blink rate was taken as the mean number of blinks which occurred during the first 2 consecutive minutes after a 1-minute accommodation period. Eye blink rate was recorded before and after exposure to the experimental conditions. Data were compared by a two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) for repeated measures with one between factor (condition) and one within factor (pre-test and post-test). Results: Raven and IST performances improved significantly after exposure to all three experimental conditions (Figs. 1, 2). Blink-rate also increased after exposure to all three conditions (Fig. 3). No specific effect of the Mozart music was found compared to either Jazz music or silence. Conclusions: No significant differences between the three different conditions were found either in cognitive performances (Raven test and IST) or blink rate. This result confirms previous negative findings on the "Mozart effect" and does not support the hypothesis that Mozart music may produce significant and specific effects on cognitive functions. However, the effects of music on the dopamine system should be assessed with further experimental models. Although no overall significant difference in eye blink rate was found between the three groups, the noticeable trend of blink rate to increase in the Mozart condition suggests a possible role of features and characters of a specific music to affect Central Nervous System (CNS) areas modulating activation and arousal.