MUSIC AND THE BRAIN - Adaugo Grace Opurum RN

MUSIC AND THE BRAIN

The neuroscience of music is the scientific study of the brain-based mechanism involved in the cognitive process underlying music. These behaviours include music listening, perform, composing, reading, writing and ancillary activities.

The interest in the effect of music on the brain has led to a new branch of research called neuromusicology, this explores how the nervous system react to music. Music activates every known part of the brain. The brain processes different properties of sound production in music, this is dependent on the property.

The rhythm of music is processed by motor and auditory area of the human brain located in the cerebrum. Melody processing is carried out in the secondary cortex. A widely postulated mechanism for pitch processing is done by the central auditory system which is the phase-locking and mode -locking of the action potential to frequencies in a stimulus. The role of the right auditory cortex is in fine pitch resolution. When a melody was produced activation spreads to the superior temporal gyrus and planum polare. These result support the existence of a pitch processing hierarchy. One study by Petr Janata found that there are tonality- sensitive area in the medial prefrontalcortex the cerebellum, the superior temporal sulci of both hemisphere and the superior temporal gyri.

Music helps improve brain health and function in many ways. Listening to music is good, playing it is better. People all over the world respond to music in a universal way. Neuroscientific researches have made great advances on how music affects the brain to enhance the human behaviour.

In other to understand the effect of music on the brain, it is better to look at the brain of those who play a lot of music -Musician. A scan of the brain of a musician show different from that of a non-musician. Musicians have shown to have healthy brain, bigger, better, connected and more sensitive brain. Musicians have superior working memory, auditory skill and cognitive flexibility. Their brains are noticeably more symmetrical and they respond more symmetrically when listening to music. They also have larger corpus callosum, this is the bundle of nerve fibres that transfer information between the two hemisphere of the brain. This increase of the corpus callosum size means that the two sides of musician’s brain are better at communicating with each other. However for non-musician that still listen to music, music still has effect on the brain as well.

 Music boost brain chemicals, listening to music increases the neurotransmitter dopamine; this is the brain motivation molecule and an integral part of the pleasure-reward system. Dopamine is the chemical responsible for the feel-good states obtained from eating chocolate or orgasm. Listening to a playlist increases dopamine production. This is effective in the treatment for depression.

"We have such a deep connection to music because it is hard wired in our brains and bodies "Barbara Else, senior advisor of policy and research at the American Music therapy Association told medical News today "the element of music-rhythm, Melody et care echoed in our physiological function and being.

Given the deep connection we have with music, it is not a surprise that many studies have visibly shown that it can benefit our mental health. But increasingly, researchers are finding that the health benefit of music may go beyond mental health and as a result, some health experts are suggesting that music therapy be more widely incorporated into health care setting.

The study by MNT suggested that repetitive pattern of the music an infant listens to, reduces distress. Possibly by promoting entrainment (the ability of the body's internal rhythm to synchronize with external rhythm, pulse or beats). Evidence from studies has led researchers to suggest music may help memory recall for people with cognitive disorder such as Alzheimer's disease. A study published in the Journal Gerontologist last year assessed the effect of music on memory recall in individuals with early stage dementia. This showed positive progress on their memory. Listening to music for 2 hours daily has shown an improved verbal memory and attention on stroke patient and also a more positive mood than those stroke patients who listened to an audio book or nothing at all. This has shown that music may aid speech recovery following stroke. It is also suggested that music may help treat Epilepsy.

Music has continued to show its powerful effect on the brain over the years even in infants. In the 1990s, the Mozart effect was popularized to have a positive effect on the infant brain. It was believed that listening to music of Mozart made kids smarter. Parents were known to play the music of Mozart to their babies while in-vitro to jumpstart the brain of their unborn child. It became an accepted theory that when a child takes music lesson, it enhances their brain function and structure; there is nothing particularly unique about Mozart's music as regards to the brain function. Starting music lesson at the early stage tends to increase brain plasticity (the brain's capacity to change and grow) just a half an hour music lesson increases blood flow to the left hemisphere of the brain.

Music helps improve language development, increase in Intelligence Quotient, improves test scores, Increase brain connectivity and increase spatial intelligence.

Adaugo Grace Opurum RN
(Charmz)