Do you know someone with Parkinson’s disease? If so, you really should learn about how powerful music therapy can be with your loved one. Are you doubtful? Read this exciting study that was published recently about music therapy with Parkinson’s dis [Read more →]
New Research from Stanford on how Brain processes music
December 31st, 2011 · music and the brain
Research published earlier this year showed that listening to music releases the
neurotransmitter dopamine in the brain and sends pleasure signals to the rest of
the body. Now findings recently published in NeuroImage offer
additional insights into how music affects our neural circuits.
In the study
Finnish researchers recorded the brain responses of
individuals who were listening to a piece of modern Argentinian tango using
functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technology. Afterwards, they used
computer algorithms to analyze the musical content of the tango and illustrate
how its rhythmic, tonal and timbral components evolved over time. They then
compared the brain responses and the musical features. Medical News Today reports:
The researchers found that music listening recruits not only the auditory
areas of the brain, but also employs large-scale neural networks. For instance,
they discovered that the processing of musical pulse recruits motor areas in the
brain, supporting the idea that music and movement are closely intertwined.
Limbic areas of the brain, known to be associated with emotions, were found to
be involved in rhythm and tonality processing. Processing of timbre was
associated with activations in the so-called default mode network, which is
assumed to be associated with mind-wandering and creativity.
Similarly, a past
Stanford study showed music engages the areas of the brain involved with paying
attention, making predictions and updating the event in memory. The findings
also suggest that music can help the brain organize incoming information.
Published by Stanford University School of Medicine. article by Lia Steakley
Music Therapy and Sen. Gabrielle Giffords
December 1st, 2011 · how the brain works
Everyone knows the horrible story of the shooting of Senator Gabrielle Giffords. At the time of the shooting, her doctors were not sure she would even survive, much less recover. Today, she is a shining star of what modern medicine can accomplish…with a little help from the field of music therapy!
“The most famous recent music therapy patient is U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona, shot through the left side of her brain 10 months ago during a public appearance in Tucson. Her therapists have used music to help her learn to walk and speak again, as well as give her an emotional boost along her stunningly difficult path. USA Todayreports that music therapy is increasingly being used to treat a wide range of problems, from brain injury to aging to cystic fibrosis.” (Phoenix Business Journal, 11/29/11)
More info on Music and the Brain: healthy music = healthy life
October 24th, 2011 · how the brain works, music and the brain
Everyone knows that music makes then feel good. Generally music makes you feel better than you did before you started listening. Music often creates good feelings that are so irresistable to me and I have to jump up and start dancing! Seriously! My dog looks at me with the most puzzled look!
I’ve always wanted to know exactly what music does to my brain and my mind and body. Here is a delightful and interesting excerpt from an article online: Music appears to be processed in the right hemisphere of the brain. The way we experience music also affects our nervous system.
There are different neurons that respond according to what kind of music is playing. Music can effect hormones, encourage the production of cortisol, testosterone, and oxytocin. Music can even trigger a release of endorphins.
Beyond the biology and the actual responses of your body, there are definite responses of the mind as well. You’re aware of how you feel when you listen to music, but how do you know that it’s actually having any sort of effect on you? There is scientific evidence of the way it can affect your mind! It’s clearly more than just a suspicion — it’s fact!
The most famous experiment related to this is probably the one that was performed at the University of California at Irvine. College students were assigned to three different groups. The first group listened to Mozart’s sonata for Two Pianos in D Major. The second group listened to a relaxation tape. The third group listened to nothing at all.
After listening, they took a Stanford-Beinet reasoning test. The results were clear — those who had listened to Mozart had improved scores!
Many musical therapy experts recommend making music a part of your daily life, because its effects can improve with time. There is evidence that, over time, your language skills, creativity, happiness, and more, can improve with regular musical therapy.
The evidence is also stacked up strongly in favor of music’s healing power! A positive link has been found for those suffering from things like autism, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Tourette’s.
There are neuroscientists who are working to discover exactly why music has healing powers. After all, it’s pretty amazing that it can stimulate certain areas of the brain, speed healing, and decrease anxiety and increase optimism.
There are different components to music that can have an effect. Pitch, harmony, frequency, melody, and rhythm all effect the brain in different ways. We know that some of the brain locations are involved in helping to heal and soothe the body as well.
The brain can be taught and stimulated to perform better — and it seems that music is the perfect vehicle to do that.
Music and Your Brain: An Expert Explains…
August 30th, 2011 · music and the brain
Dr. Daniel Levitan, author of “This is Your Brain on Music” helps us to understand how the brain processes music…fascinating, I think!
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