Music, the Mind-Body Connection, and The Relaxation Response!

Music can be used as a valuable stress management and relaxation tool. Relaxation music creates an ambient oasis of peace and tranquility enhancing vital relaxation.


Music is a great accompaniment for holistic therapies and very powerful tool for relieving stress. It also enhances the production of guided meditation or hypnotherapy. Soothing music helps a person calm down, lower the heart rate and by design create additional alpha brainwaves with its special rhythms.


Music with a magical tempo of 60 beats per minute enhance a restful sleep, speed up learning, improve immune response, decrease the need for anesthesia during surgery and has even been known to reduce blood pressure.


The experience of most people and science points out the significance of baroque music in offering relaxation. Studies indicate that baroque music played at 60 beats per minute enables the brain to generate increased alpha brainwaves offering a relaxation effect.


To choose the relaxation music, which works best for you, start by testing the various types of soothing music available. It is likely that what one considers relaxing may be irritating to another. Choosing appropriate calming music is a matter of personal preferences, but though one’s personal preferences go into the equation, some kind of music is more relaxing than other music.


The brain primarily produces brainwaves at 14 to 30 cycles per second (hertz) known as beta waves when in normal consciousness. Brainwaves with frequencies of 8 to 14 cycles per second are alpha waves that are present when one is more relaxed. Around 4 to 8 cycles per second is the theta waves that present a deeper drowsy and meditative state. Finally, when one is asleep, delta waves of fewer than 5 hertz are produced.


Normally, alpha brainwaves stimulate a relaxing state, but meditation encourages a more relaxing consciousness state especially if practiced regularly. For those who have no time or inclinations to meditate, music embedded with particular beats works in a similar way. This is the source for brainwave entertainment technology, which alter one’s brainwaves giving a rapid relaxation response. Relaxation music affects the soul. People don’t just merely hear it, they also feel it.


When trying to use relaxation music to calm the body and spirit it is most important to choose music that is relaxing to you. There are various styles and genres of music and the style that is comfortable for one person may be completely different from the style that relaxes another. Trial and error will help to gauge which style is best for your mind.

found on http://www.blueorbitmusic.com/?p=430

How does music affect YOUR mind and body?

It's no secret, music affects us all differently. Even the same piece of music affects different people in vastly different ways. Let's take,for example, Michael Jackson. Like many pop musician, whether you like him or don't is oftentimes a matter of what generation you're a part of? Are you now a senior citizen? Chances are you're NOT a fan. Are you in your 30's or 40's? I'll be you probably do like a lot of his music.



How we react to this piece of music probably will even be different in the future because it is currently being re-recorded by newer world-famous musicians as a fund-raiser for the children of Haiti! For me, hearing this piece again brings to my mind all the images of abandoned children wandering the streets of Haiti and makes me want to help them.

Music can affect people by calming them, energizing them, reminding them of their spiritual connection or inciting them to fight and riot in the streets! How will music affect YOU today?

Holy Angels Gift of Music

Gift of music thrills Holy Angels

New program enables people with disabilities to perform with even the slightest motion.

The musical instrument is invisible - played by hand movements or nods of the head.

Sounds showering the air may be like the sweet purr of a harp or a full orchestra's blast.

The players are residents of Belmont-based Holy Angels, a center for children and adults with severe disabilities that is run by the Sisters of Mercy.

They're taking part in a new program that allows them to create musical sounds by interrupting an invisible beam that sends out ultra-sonic pulses. The sounds - anything from a guitar to a piano - are programmed into a computer/synthesizer connected to microphones that emit the ultrasonic waves. When the waves are broken, sounds come out in long or short bursts against background music created by the synthesizer.


Introduced in Germany in the late 1980s, the sound beams open up a world of possibilities for people who are extremely limited in what they can do.


"They can really enjoy music in a way in which they can actually participate," said Gaye Dimmick, director of creative arts at Holy Angels. "They're independent in a way they've never been before. It's a big step for them."


The sound beam is an addition to the recently announced Don & Lynn Leonard Music Program, named after two longtime volunteers at Holy Angels.


Don Leonard, who died of cancer in 2008, ran a Charlotte heating and air-conditioning business, but he made music on the side at Holy Angels.

Before he died in 2008 at 61, he asked that donations in his memory be made to Holy Angels, where he was considered the "resident musician." Nearly $12,000 came in.


"Don wanted to do something that would last," said Lynn Leonard of Gastonia. "I think he would be thrilled over this program. He knew the power of music."

Faces light up

Lexington native Don Leonard got his first guitar in junior high. His passion for music took off, even though he couldn't read a note and played by ear.

In the mid-1960s, as a student at Salisbury's Catawba College, he traveled with a band called The Jokers Six & the Marlboros, playing beach, rock and soul.

Don and Lynn Leonard married in 1971 and moved from Salisbury to Gastonia in 1981.


Lynn Leonard connected with Holy Angels 10 years later when she helped build an endowment fund there and became a volunteer.

"I saw the care the kids were getting," Leonard said. "The situations were sad, but their lives were so enriched."


Her three children also became volunteers. So did her husband, who put his musical talent to use.

He and a friend, vocalist Johnny Brincefield of Salisbury, performed at Holy Angels' special events - everything from groundbreakings to holiday parties.

"This was another way Don had of sharing his music," Lynn Leonard said. "He said it just warmed his heart to see these children love music as much as he did."

Don Leonard was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2000. Following surgery, he had 35 radiation treatments and experimental treatment in the Dominican Republic.

In the long fight for his life, music helped.

He liked all kinds: Eric Clapton and Carlos Santana; Chet Atkins and Jim Croce; Spyro Gyra and the Rippingtons.

"Music was his obsession," Lynn Leonard said. "Don would go down to his little music room and spent time there. He said it put him in another place."

Leonard stayed involved with Holy Angels, music and his job - right until the end.

Donations in his memory are also paying for another part of the music program: the Rhythmic Arts Project. Hand-held drums are used as a simple method of teaching residents such things as numbers, concentration and focus.

Lynn Leonard has watched the children's reaction.

"Their faces light up," she said. "They're very moved by music. It calms them, inspires them and excites them."


Beat goes on

Sister Nancy Nance, Holy Angels' vice president of community relations, has also seen the power of music at work.


For a few minutes, the children's limitations are loosened. The slightest body movement unlocks a flood of wonder.


"They're delighted," Nance said.

In the future, more sounds can be added to the program that's a continuing legacy for the man who couldn't read music, but loved sharing it.


"Don's up in heaven smiling," Lynn Leonard said. "The beat goes on."




By Joe DePriest
jdepriest@charlotteobserver.com
Posted: Sunday, Jan. 17, 2010

Characteristics of Healing Music: Maximizing the Mind-Body Connection

Music can be used as a valuable stress management and relaxation tool. Relaxation music creates an ambient oasis of peace and tranquility enhancing vital relaxation.




Music is a great accompaniment for holistic therapies and very powerful tool for relieving stress. It also enhances the production of guided meditation or hypnotherapy. Soothing music helps a person calm down, lower the heart rate and by design create additional alpha brainwaves with its special rhythms.



Music with a magical tempo of 60 beats per minute enhance a restful sleep, speed up learning, improve immune response, decrease the need for anesthesia during surgery and has even been known to reduce blood pressure.



The experience of most people and science points out the significance of baroque music in offering relaxation. Studies indicate that baroque music played at 60 beats per minute enables the brain to generate increased alpha brainwaves offering a relaxation effect.



To choose the relaxation music, which works best for you, start by testing the various types of soothing music available. It is likely that what one considers relaxing may be irritating to another. Choosing appropriate calming music is a matter of personal preferences, but though one’s personal preferences go into the equation, some kind of music is more relaxing than other music.



The brain primarily produces brainwaves at 14 to 30 cycles per second (hertz) known as beta waves when in normal consciousness. Brainwaves with frequencies of 8 to 14 cycles per second are alpha waves that are present when one is more relaxed. Around 4 to 8 cycles per second is the theta waves that present a deeper drowsy and meditative state. Finally, when one is asleep, delta waves of fewer than 5 hertz are produced.



Normally, alpha brainwaves stimulate a relaxing state, but meditation encourages a more relaxing consciousness state especially if practiced regularly. For those who have no time or inclinations to meditate, music embedded with particular beats works in a similar way. This is the source for brainwave entertainment technology, which alter one’s brainwaves giving a rapid relaxation response. Relaxation music affects the soul. People don’t just merely hear it, they also feel it.



When trying to use relaxation music to calm the body and spirit it is most important to choose music that is relaxing to you. There are various styles and genres of music and the style that is comfortable for one person may be completely different from the style that relaxes another. Trial and error will help to gauge which style is best for your mind.


http://behealthyandrelax.com/2009/12/finding-relaxation-music-that-works-best-for-you/

Christmas Music and the Mind-Body Connection

  Have you noticed a visceral reaction to certain familiar music?  An emotion that is so deeply felt that within seconds you are moved to tears?  This particular Christmas piece by John Rutter does that to me!  Is it because the first time I heard it, it just struck me as a beautiful, spiritual piece that spoke to me to the tips of my toes and the to the bottom of my heart.  To this day, when I hear this beautiful song, I am again quickly overcome with emotion.  It always surprises me and catches me off guard.

When I ask myself what emotion it is coming up in me, I believe that it would have to be gratitude!  I just feel overcome with gratitude for the world, for love, and for forgiveness.  I hope that you enjoy this too!

How does the mind respond to familiar music?

This is one of the things I've wondered for decades. When we listen to familiar music our brains "light up" differently from when we listen to unfamiliar music. But what about familiar music played on a very different instrument? Listen to this very unusual version of Bach's familiar Prelude and Fugues in D minor and tell me how it strikes YOU! I'd really love to know!

How many ways can music be used to improve your life?

One of the things I try to do each day is to write at least one article and one or two blog posts. Educating people about the benefits of music and how to put this music to work for you, is my mission and goal in life.

Recently I've updated one of the articles I wrote several years ago. The article is on my website, which you may have never visited, but I do hope you will!

Here's the link: http://www.healingmusicenterprises.com/articles/music_wellness_top_10.html

How does pain affect the Mind and the Body?

Many people have chronic pain. Understanding the origins of it won't make it go away but this is an excellent article that might give you some new options. Of course music can always be an effective soother and comforter for pain of any kind.

Pain can be described as an annoying sensation that can range from slight, localized aching to agony. This sensation can impair professional, private, and social relationships. Numerous therapies
can be used, such as narcotic and non-narcotic pain medications, guided visualization and diversion techniques, NLP, and hypnotherapy.

Pain can be described as an annoying sensation that can range from slight, localized aching to misery. This sensation includes both physiological and emotional components. This experience often results in a lack of zest and energy. Such persons report feeling exhausted and psychologically miserable. The pain response can impair professional, private, and social ties.

When a person is injured, his or her body discharges hormones that tell the brain that something is wrong. The brain understands this alarm as injury, and advises the person of the injury. The person then responds to this message, and attempts to resolve it. Sometimes, however, the body sends a warning of pain when no injury has occurred. This can occur when the signal has a psychological, rather than a physical, cause.

One method of relieving painful feelings is by using medications. Non-narcotic medicines, such as Tylenol or Aspirin, prevent body tissues from releasing chemicals used to notify the brain of injury. Narcotic drugs, however, signal neurons in the brain and advise them that the issue has been completely resolved. Narcotics, like Demerol and Dilaudid, may often be very addictive and cause dependency in those persons who rely on them for long periods as pain management strategies.

The body also releases chemicals called endorphins. These are Nature’s painkillers, released by the brain's cells to make the body believe that it does not hurt. Athletes, for instance, release endorphins after strenuous exercise; this is where the “runner’s high” sometimes referred to originates. Individuals who enjoy taking part in strenuous sports report a similar endorphin release. Often, sports enthusiasts are able to run or play in spite of pain as a result of the presence of these endorphins in their bodies.

People sometimes experience a reprieve by using hypnosis and Neuro-Linguistic programming approaches. These natural pain relief techniques can allow people to receive relief from many long-term problems, including migraines and other chronic, debilitating headaches or throbbing neck pain. Most people can significantly decrease, or totally end their use of drugs as a result of these strategies.

Traditional hypnotherapy pain relief methods work best for those who respond to post-hypnotic suggestions. A skilled hypnotist helps the individual to go into a very relaxed state. During this time, the client is very aware of the suggestions being offered by the professional.

The hypnotherapist may suggest that the client concentrate on other activities or tasks, and that distraction will diminish any sense of discomfort. Actually, just the use of the word discomfort in the middle of a hypnotic session rather than the use of the word pain can greatly reduce any feeling of pain. The majority of clients have astonishing results, and they can be helped to practice self-hypnosis for pain relief to gain personal control of their situations.

More analytical persons generally require either Erickson-based hypnosis or NLP to overcome their conscious resistance to suggestion.

The hypnosis strategy for pain treatment can also be employed to teach the brain to give off endorphins that can induce a state of light anesthesia, also referred to as analgesia. This state is sometimes used to assist ladies to give birth without using drugs that may endanger the baby. It also helps to offer natural arthritis pain relief in long-term sufferers.

Hypnosis can also be used to induce total anesthesia in some people. Medical researchers call this hypnoanesthesia. Long before general anesthesia became popularly available to patients, many doctors performed major surgery under hypnoanesthesia.

Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) can be used to assist people who tend to think critically or analytically. Professionals assist clients to master a very beneficial technique employed by NLP, called the 'Flash'. This technique assists people to train their unconscious minds to automatically avoid a painful sensation, and to concentrate on thoughts that will offer relaxation and comfort. People who have learned this approach find that they are no longer capable of focusing on their pain, because their thoughts instantly substitute it for thoughts that produce comfort.

Both NLP and hypnotherapy are new strategies that teach totally natural strategies for relieving pain. They allow people to avoid using pain medication or limit their need to use these medicines. Both those who are very open to suggestion and clients who are analytical thinkers can benefit from these program formats. Additionally, both have demonstrated high levels of effectiveness in assisting people to get a reprieve from their pain.

Music, Anesthesia and the Mind-Body Connection

\"Heal the World\" by Michael JacksonWhen I started blogging a few years ago, I certainly never thought there would be a connection between Michael Jackson, music and anesthesia. And yet, in the final hours of his life, it was quite possibly a dose (or overdose) of one of the most potent anesthetics available; the drug is Propofol, known by its commercial name of Diprovan.
I never met Michael Jackson or heard him perform live, but my daughters were fans and his music was heard in our home and in our car. The price of fame, infamy, success and accusations, was that he came to have chronic insomnia. You can imagine that someone who expends so much energy on stage and in life, sleep, quality sleep, is critically important.
When the usual sleep-aids quit working for him, he looked around to see what else was available. My understanding is that since he had had so many surgeries that he was well-acquainted with the drugs that anesthesiologists use to put people to sleep before surgery. Unfortunately, the choice of propofol was a deadly one. One anesthesiologist said that with this powerful drug, the difference of 1cc is the difference between sleep and death.
If only music could have put him to sleep. I know that we musicians have music playing in their heads all the time anyway, but when you add the voices of such severe critics, from his father to youngs boys he entertained at Neverland to the media and the press around the world! May he rest in peace now and may more people realize that anesthesia is powerful medication that must only be used in a hospital setting by trained professionals!

Susan Boyle and the Mind-Body Connection

What does Susan Boyle have to do with the mind-body connection? Well, I think that ever since she made headlines, her name and her whole persona have an effect on people around the world. I've talked with friends who don't even have a computer but who know who Susan is and what she accomplished. Her story is the classic, favorite, beloved tale of the underdog who rises to the top to win. She became an instantaneous internet super-star and the YouTube video on her "Britain's Got Talent" has been downloaded over 20,000,000 times! I know that for me, the mere mention of her name makes me feel excited, proud, and hopeful for humanity at large.
Tonight, enjoy this final performance of her's on Britain's Got Talent and be looking for her to become a media name for years to come!

Announcing a new course on" Music as Therapy"

I want to tell you about a wonderful new course that will be offered online this summer by my dear friend and mentor, Dr. Arthur Harvey.  The course will be quite comprehensive and cover many aspects of healing with music, how music affects the mind-body, the brain and lots, lots more.  The course is being offered through the University of Hawaii where Arthur taught for many years, but you can take it from the comfort of your own living room!

To learn more about it, go to www.musicforhealthservices.com.  

The photo above is of Dr. Harvey playing the piano in an operating room!  Sign up for this course if you want to study with an international leader in the field of music and medicine!

Do you know about "Second Life"?

Two days ago I was interviewed by Dave Schwartz of Music Academy Online. The hour-long interview was done in Second Life, a technology that gives humans animated avatars on-screen. If you'd like to watch/listen to this and learn about how I went from being a musicologist to being a clinical musicologist, click http://www.slcn.tv/music-academy-onlive-dr-alice-cash-ph-d. I really think you'll enjoy this one!

Music and Emotions--the mind-body connection

Music is powerful...that is a given. We need no scientific proof for this, all we have to do turn on a radio, or a TV or an iPod or even start humming or whistling or even THINK about humming or singing or listening to a favorite song! Floods of memories and events and feelings will wash over you and you are transported to a farway time and place! The reason for this flood of pleasure or sadness, or even anger is because music elicits powerful memories and because the mind and body are inseparably connected, we feel like dancing or smiling or laughing or crying!

Now, can this power be harnessed? You know it can be! When we're tired or lethargic but there are still hours in the day and work to do, we know just what to reach for that will energize and motivate. For me it's usually the oldies, pop music of the 60's. When we're exhausted and need to relax, unwind, and get ready for sleep, something slow and serene is in order. For me, that might be some Celtic melody or Enya. Slow jazz or moody blues can also be good. If you're sad and grieving or mourning the loss of a friend, a relationship, a job or a pet, you know the music that will help you through it. For me it might be a minor key violin or cello concerto...Dvorak comes to mind, or Bruch or Mendelssohn. But guess what? These awarenesses that we have have are not widely stood. Many people don't realize how powerful music is and it is valued primarily as entertainment. What will YOU do to spread the word? I have a full line of healing music products at www.HealingMusicEnterprises.com/products.html. Please check them out, buy a few for yourself and your family and share them with the world! Thanks!

The Sound of Love?

“We are marrying human hearts to the “Universal Solvent” with the “Universal Language” - Music, to produce the “Universal Healer” - LOVEDr. Leonard G. Horowitz
528HZ Cymoglype by John Stuart Reid
Synthesizer Re-tuning to the Perfect Circle of Sound:Researching the Sound of LOVE - 528HZ Cymoglype by John Stuart ReidA Preliminary Study with Implications for BioEnergetic Healing
Here are two tutorials for professional keyboard players to re-tune from the standard A=440Hz tuning, to 528Hz–LOVE tuning. You will be amazed, possibly even shocked, to learn how A=440 was precisely selected to spiritually suppress you to the max; and why retuning now to LOVE, shall deliver you and civilization from chaotic degeneration to lasting harmony in our hearts; thus, yielding lasting peace on earth.
For conscious keyboard professionals features Dr. Leonard G. Horowitz, Executive Producer of LIVE H2O, interviewing sound engineering specialist, Michael Walton of SomaMagic Studio. In Part 1, Michael explains how to re-tune the Korg Oasys synthesizer using the Perfect Circle of Sound tuning fork set and a Korg chromatic tuner. Creating a new scale by tuning the Oasys to the Solfeggio frequency-equivalents required exclusion of dissonant tones 417Hz and 714Hz. Walton discovered that the standard tuning A note is the precise frequency equivalent to the 741Hz F# frequency in the Solfeggio. The chance this precise association between the ancient and modern scales might have happened by chance, versus by sinister imposition, is discussed in greater detail at http://www.hydrosonics.org.
The team discovers that scale-building from C equal to 528Hz frequency demonstrates 417Hz and 741Hz are disharmonious and potentially bioenergetically degrading to humans. This tutorial, developed with funding from LIVE H2O co-sponsor, OxySilver.com, is contributed to assist advanced keyboard players in retuning synthesizer software and band performances in 528Hz LOVE…
Part 1 of 2

Part 2 of 2

Another example of music that goes straight to the heart

Tonight I went to the Kentucky Center for the Arts to hear opening night of "Wicked." I felt like it got off to a little bit of a slow start...the first half was 90 minutes long, but the final song made it all worth the wait!! If you have a chance to go, I recommend it!

Listen to Dr. Cash perform Bach

You're watching a snippet of a lecture/recital that I did last Fall at Clemson University in S.C. The piece that I'm playing is Bach's Prelude in C major from the Well-Tempered Clavier, Bk.1. If you close your eyes and listen to this piece, you will begin to feel calmer and more peaceful. Give it try. Music affects the mind and body simultaneously. While you listen, your breathing will begin to slow down and your heart rate will also slow down. This is a wonderful piece to listen to when you're feeling stressed!

Particpate in my Music with Surgery research!

Imagine that you have just been told that you must have surgery. What are your feelings? Fear, apprehension, anxiety, even terror?? Everyday around the world, people are told that they must have surgery for cancer, joint replacement, heart problems, organ transplants. And then there are those who sign up for elective surgery, people who want to look younger and more beautiful!
You probably know that recently I received a U.S. Patent on my special unique headphones created for before, during and after surgery. For a very limited time, I am offering a free download of the music for anyone who is having surgery in return for answersing some questions before and after surgery. I will even call you before and after to ask you these questions myself! This offer will be good until I have received 100 sets of data which could take as little as a week, but no more than a month, hopefully. If you (or friend or family member) are interested in participating in this, contact me immediately through the blog or the website or at chantdoc@gmail.com.
Thank you and hope to hear from you soon!

Music Healing Goes Mainstream!

Beth Israel Medical Center in New York uses music therapy to sooth their premature babies and trauma patients. The hospital finds that music eases patients' pain, lowers blood pressure, reduces anxiety and depression and allows patients to get well, faster and is less expensive than medication. Beth Israel is not alone. In 2007, nearly 600 facilities offered music therapy to their patientsMusic therapy is not a new idea. Aristotle and Plato wrote about it. Primitive healers and witch doctors employed drums and rattles in their healing work. Ancient Egyptian doctors used incantation and sound healing. The Bible records the influence of David’s singing on King Saul. “And it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand and all shalt be well. “(1 Samuel 16:14-16) In the twentieth century, musicians visited veterans hospitals after both World War I and II. Entertainers continue to bring healing to troops on the ground and in hospital settings to this day. Patients on breathing machines in intensive care units listened to Mozart sonatas in a study at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital. Those listening to music had reduced stress hormones and more growth hormones, better metabolic regulation and better sleep. The group had lower blood pressure, lowered heat rate and needed less medication.Mozart’s music is also played to premature babies at New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. The infants display lowered heart rates and better sleep. All it takes was two hours a week of Mozart to obtain these healing benefits.Is it the music or is it the listening that makes the difference? Severe stroke patients listened to either music or audio books in a study in Finland. A recent issue of the journal Brain reported that the patients who listened to music for at least one hour were less depressed and had faster memory restoration and recovery from stroke symptoms.Music therapy has been used with terminally ill patients to ease their anxiety and drowsiness, and has even been used to reduce pain perception. Music play lists are common now, in maternity wards, as mothers-to-be know all too well the soothing sounds that music brings to the delivery room. Music has been used to treat addictions, and even cancer.A type of group drum playing, called composite drumming, has been shown to increase Natural Killer (NK) cell activity, the cells that fight cancer and viral infections.

Alternative Medicine By: Melanie Grimes Published: Friday, 3 October 2008

Music Training 'Tunes' Human Auditory System

A newly published study by Northwestern University researchers suggests that Mom was right when she insisted that you continue music lessons -- even after it was clear that a professional music career was not in your future.
The study, which will appear in the April issue of Nature Neuroscience, is the first to provide concrete evidence that playing a musical instrument significantly enhances the brainstem's sensitivity to speech sounds. This finding has broad implications because it applies to sound encoding skills involved not only in music but also in language.
The findings indicate that experience with music at a young age in effect can "fine-tune" the brain's auditory system. "Increasing music experience appears to benefit all children -- whether musically exceptional or not -- in a wide range of learning activities," says Nina Kraus, director of Northwestern's Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory and senior author of the study.
"Our findings underscore the pervasive impact of musical training on neurological development. Yet music classes are often among the first to be cut when school budgets get tight. That's a mistake," says Kraus, Hugh Knowles Professor of Neurobiology and Physiology and professor of communication sciences and disorders.
"Our study is the first to ask whether enhancing the sound environment -- in this case with musical training -- will positively affect the way an individual encodes sound even at a level as basic as the brainstem," says Patrick Wong, primary author of "Musical Experience Shapes Human Brainstem Encoding of Linguistic Pitch Patterns." An old structure from an evolutionary standpoint, the brainstem once was thought to only play a passive role in auditory processing.
Using a novel experimental design, the researchers presented the Mandarin word "mi" to 20 adults as they watched a movie. Half had at least six years of musical instrument training starting before the age of 12. The other half had minimal (less than 2 years) or no musical training. All were native English speakers with no knowledge of Mandarin, a tone language.
In tone languages, a single word can differ in meaning depending on pitch patterns called "tones." For example, the Mandarin word "mi" delivered in a level tone means "to squint," in a rising tone means "to bewilder," and in a dipping (falling then rising) tone means "rice." English, on the other hand, only uses pitch to reflect intonation (as when rising pitch is used in questions).
As the subjects watched the movie, the researchers used electrophysiological methods to measure and graph the accuracy of their brainstem ability to track the three differently pitched "mi" sounds.
"Even with their attention focused on the movie and though the sounds had no linguistic or musical meaning for them, we found our musically trained subjects were far better at tracking the three different tones than the non-musicians," says Wong, director of Northwestern's Speech Research Laboratory and assistant professor of communication sciences and disorders.
The research by co-authors Wong, Kraus, Erika Skoe, Nicole Russo and Tasha Dees represents a new way of defining the relationship between the brainstem -- a lower order brain structure thought to be unchangeable and uninvolved in complex processing -- and the neocortex, a higher order brain structure associated with music, language and other complex processing.
These findings are in line with previous studies by Wong and his group suggesting that musical experience can improve one's ability to learn tone languages in adulthood and level of musical experience plays a role in the degree of activation in the auditory cortex. Wong also is a faculty member in Northwestern's Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program.
The findings also are consistent with studies by Kraus and her research team that have revealed anomalies in brainstem sound encoding in some children with learning disabilities which can be improved by auditory training.
"We've found that by playing music -- an action thought of as a function of the neocortex -- a person may actually be tuning the brainstem," says Kraus. "This suggests that the relationship between the brainstem and neocortex is a dynamic and reciprocal one and tells us that our basic sensory circuitry is more malleable than we previously thought."
Overall, the findings assist in unfolding new lines of inquiry. The researchers now are looking to find ways to "train" the brain to better encode sound -- work that potentially has far-reaching educational and clinical implications. The study was supported by Northwestern University, grants from the National Institutes of Health and a grant from the National Science Foundation.
Adapted from materials provided by Northwestern University, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

The Power of Music with Parkinson's Disease

Rande Davis Gedaliah's 2003 diagnosis of Parkinson's was followed by leg spasms, balance problems, difficulty walking, and ultimately a serious fall in the shower. But something remarkable happened when the 60-year-old public speaking coach turned to an oldies station on her shower radio: She could move her leg with ease, her balance improved, and, she couldn't stop dancing. Now, she puts on her iPod and pumps in Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A." when she wants to walk quickly; for a slower pace, Queen's "We Are the Champions" does the trick.
Music therapy has been practiced for decades as a way to treat neurological conditions from Parkinson's to Alzheimer's to anxiety and depression. Now, advances in neuroscience and brain imaging are revealing what's actually happening in the brain as patients listen to music or play instruments and why the therapy works. "It's been substantiated only in the last year or two that music therapy can help restore the loss of expressive language in patients with aphasia" following brain injury from stroke, says Oliver Sacks, the noted neurologist and professor at Columbia University, who explored the link between music and the brain in his recent book Musicophilia. Beyond improving movement and speech, he says, music can trigger the release of mood-altering brain chemicals and once-lost memories and emotions.
Parkinson's and stroke patients benefit, neurologists believe, because the human brain is innately attuned to respond to highly rhythmic music; in fact, says Sacks, our nervous system is unique among mammals in its automatic tendency to go into foot-tapping mode. In Parkinson's patients with bradykinesia, or difficulty initiating movement, it's thought that the music triggers networks of neurons to translate the cadence into organized movement. "We see patients develop something like an auditory timing mechanism," says Concetta Tomaino, cofounder of the Institute for Music and Neurologic Function in New York City. "Someone who is frozen can immediately release and begin walking. Or if they have balance problems, they can coordinate their steps to synchronize with the music," improving their gait and stride. Slow rhythms can ease the muscle bursts and jerky motions of Parkinson's patients with involuntary tremors.
Actually playing music, which requires coordinating muscle movements and developing an ear for timing, can also bring dramatic results, says Rick Bausman, a musician and the founder and director of the Martha's Vineyard-based Drum Workshop. The workshop uses traditional drum ensembles, in which groups of participants play percussion pieces, as one form of therapy for patients with a variety of cognitive and physical disabilities, including Parkinson's disease. Bausman teaches participants to play along with traditional Afro-Caribbean beats like the Haitian kongo and Cuban bembe using congas, bongos, and djun-djun drums. "Participants report that their control of physical movement improves after playing the drums, their motion becomes more fluid, they don't shake quite as much, and their tremors seem to calm down," says Bausman.