How Specialized Music Programs Are Being Used To Treat Alzheimer's

May 09, 2018 by apost team

Everyone has been touched by music in some way, but we might not even fully understand its therapeutic effects. A recent study published by The Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer's Disease has revealed that special musical playlists stimulate parts of the brain that haven't been affected in the early stages of Alzheimer's. This study could change the way we help patients cope with anxiety and anger. 
 

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The study was conducted on 17 participants who had some form of dementia. The researchers played music that had significant meaning to each individual participant. When compared to background music or other sounds, the researchers found in the MRI scans that the personalized playlists stimulated brain regions and continued to stimulate them after the music stopped playing. 
 

Jeff Anderson, M.D., one of the authors of this study and an associate professor of radiology at the University of Utah Health, said that the research team was motivated to formulate this study based on the documentary Alive Inside, which showed how positively music impacted people with Alzheimer's. 

Anderson explained that their study sought to track the mechanisms of action in the brain when different kinds of sounds were played. He said that lots of people believe that music helps Alzheimer's patients, but there weren't many scientific studies available to back this claim. They wanted to contribute to the growing evidence that music can change brain activity. 
 

While discussing the wonderful discoveries of this study, Anderson said, “We don’t know how long this effect lasts, but it looks like it may be more than just stimulating the attention network. It may be able to get different regions of the brain talking to each other. It’s like a trigger stimulating the brain.” 

Although there is still not a lot of science out there on the relationship between the brain of someone with Alzheimer's and music, Anderson is optimistic that their study is one of the first of many more to come in the future. In fact, The National Institutes of Health is teaming up with the Kennedy Space Center and renowned singer Renée Fleming to further study the connection between aging and music. 
 

Although there currently is no cure for Alzheimer's, Anderson believes that we are making great advancements in treating this terrible disease. He stated, "If you have a patient who is severely affected, and they need less anxiety [and/or depression] or their attention improves, those gains can be very meaningful." 

Are you surprised by the results of this study? Make sure you spread the good news and let your fellow music lovers understand the awesome powers of music.