The Notes of the Past
'Music Therapy for Memory' By: Brooke Hubele and Tori Horka
Why we chose this topic...
How this topic might be helpful to others...
Music Therapy for Memory
The Brain...
When the music first starts, before the words even start, the auditory cortex is analyzing the tone, such as the rhythm and pitch. The motor cortex is involved in the movement, such as foot tapping and dancing, when one listens to music. The Prefrontal cortex is connected to the satisfaction expectations, while the nucleus accumbens and the amygdala are both connected to your emotional reactions to the music. Another major part of the brain that is being used is the hippocampus, which is usually damaged first in diseases such as Alzheimer's. Its in charge of your memory of the musical experience and the context in which it happened.
The Research and Psychologist...
Neurobiologist Gordon Shaw is an important scientist in the study called Mozart Effect, in which he showed the impact of music on the brain and with math skills by giving 3 groups of college students the same IQ test. One of the groups listened to a piece by Mozart for 10 minutes, another listened to a relaxing tape, and the third group did not listen to anything but silence. The students who listened to Mozart got about 10 points higher on their IQ test than the others who listened to either a relaxing tape or nothing. Another important researcher in this subject is Dr. Oliver Sacks. He wrote a book called Musicophilia, in which he interviewed people with different neurological conditions and examined how music had an affect on their life and condition.
Interesting Stuff...
Works Cited...
- http://www.fastcompany.com/3022942/work-smart/the-surprising-science-behind-what-music-does-to-our-brains
- http://lrs.ed.uiuc.edu/students/lerch1/edpsy/mozart_effect.html
- http://artsedresearch.typepad.com/blog/2005/04/uci-physicistmusic-research-pioneer-gordon-shaw-dead-at-72.html
- http://www.oliversacks.com/musicophilia/
- http://www.aplaceformom.com/senior-care-resources/articles/dementia-therapy-and-music
- http://www.musictherapy.org
http://www.aplaceformom.com/blog/music-therapy-dementia-treatment/
http://musicandmemory.org/about/mission-and-vision/