2023-09-06 03:01:07
Music has a wide-ranging effect on the human brain, from early auditory brainstem processing to the more complex mechanisms of music perception, recognition, emotion, and interaction with other networks. The Heschl’s gyrus, parts of the the temporal plane and the posterior superior temporal gyrus They are located in the posterior section of the superior temporal lobe and constitute the auditory cortex which is necessary to decode a musical stimulus and is strongly involved in the perception of pitch.
The recognition of music and the production of an emotional response are believed to be located in the limbic system and orbitofrontal areas via the planum polare. In addition, it has been shown that musicians possess structural differences in various regions, such as auditory, motor, callous, somatosensory, superior parietal, and cerebellar, reflecting other determinants of musical perception. This distributed effect has made it a non-drug candidate for its effects on brain functions.
Epileptics endure difficult conditions in the hospital to undergo tests. They must temporarily stop or decrease their medication to avoid triggering seizures, and many feel distressed and anxious. Some feel so uncomfortable that they cannot complete the tasks.
But when these patients listened to improvised music—a violist playing live music that responded to their agitated state in real time—their brain waves (monitored on an EEG) slowed to a calmer state, allowing further testing. They also reported a lower sense of stress and anxiety following the experience. The experiment was recorded by the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and had a small cohort (n=5) that is expected to be expanded by up to 50 people.
The viola was chosen for this research because its pitch range reflects the “safe” human vocal range, which is the middle two octaves. Research shows that this range, used in lullabies, activates the calming systems of the brain.
During the pilot study, 21 suitable for the trial were identified. Nursing and social work staff reported that five of them had significant distress and were enrolled to receive the intervention. Listening only to recordings of their favorite songs did not appear to be effective.
Participants received a personalized 40-minute live music session via FaceTime by a clinically trained violist in consultation with a music therapist.
Clinically designed improvised music has simple, meandering melodies played at a slow tempo. The improvisation is slow and without beat, and is performed in the form of two-minute statements with an ending that is reduced to silence.
The music was offered as part of Northwestern Medicine’s telemusic intervention program during the COVID-19 lockdown to ease the distress of patients in the neurosciences unit at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. The results of the larger study included 87 sessions over a three-month period.
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