A McGill University study appears to show that there's an anatomically distinct dopamine release directly before and during passages of music that elicit a sudden, strong emotional response.
The researchers followed the brain patterns of test subjects with MRI imaging, and identified dopamine streaming into the striatum region of their forebrains "at peak emotional arousal during music listening."
(Read the ars technica article here.)
Participants supplied their own music in which certain passages give them "objectively verifiable chills" and data was gathered through the use of PET (Positron Emission Tomography) and fMRI (Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scans.
If you're feeling more adventurous, the more detailed article from Nature Neuroscience is here.
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