Listening to your favorite song for hours on end can do more than give an individual an earworm. A study conducted at Brigham Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School suggests that even just listening to music produces significant health benefits, including the reduction of stress, pain, and depressive symptoms, improvement in cognitive and motor skills, and increased neurogenesis and neural plasticity (Sihvonen et al., 2017). Music has always played a critical role in society and culture; however, its therapeutic nature has only recently been analyzed in depth, as scientists are discovering more about the neurobiological mechanisms behind music processing and perception.
The brain is composed of several different regions that harmonize with one another to function as one cohesive network, not unlike how an orchestra coheres to perform a symphony. Interestingly, studies have revealed that music is capable of activating diverse networks of the brain, from the memory and limbic systems to the auditory, visual, and motor cortices (Sharma & Silbersweig, 2018). Repeated exposure to music is also capable of inducing plasticity within the brain. These changes promote the development of new neuronal pathways and increased connectivity between certain regions and allow for healing within patients who may have disrupted or dysfunctional networks (Shaffer, 2022).
According to the Parkinson’s Foundation, Parkinson’s Disease is one of the many neurodegenerative diseases that plague modern society with nearly 90,000 people in the United States diagnosed each year. Patients with this disorder present with disturbances in the psychomotor pathways as a result of dopamine deficiency and cerebral atrophy (Parkinson’s Foundation). Interestingly, passive music listening has been found to activate various brain regions within the motor system, even in scenarios where the individual is not moving (Gordon et al., 2018). This finding has prompted the use of rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS) and music therapy interventions for Parkinson’s patients, which have shown that listening to music can significantly improve gait by increasing both tempo and stride length (Machado Sotomayor et al., 2021). Similar results have also been found in patients suffering from hemiparesis as a result of stroke, in which the scientists observed increased balance, velocity, cadence, and stride length with RAS (Cha et al., 2014). This research suggests that music may be able to recover internal synchronization mechanisms that produce and regulate motor rhythmicity, resulting in greater stabilization of movement in time and space. The benefits of music, however, do not stop there.
The case of renowned singer Tony Bennett, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2016, shows just how powerful of a role music can play in the formation and retention of memories, both related and unrelated to music. During a performance, Bennett’s greeting of Lady Gaga by name for the first time in years led some researchers to suggest that music serves as means of “unlocking memories” (Clark & Warren, 2015; Shaw). fMRI studies have additionally proven that regions encoding musical memory demonstrate minimal cortical atrophy and enhanced connectivity between the anterior cingulate gyrus and components of the salience network, suggesting that the formation of new networks and preservation of certain long-term memory pathways might underlie these musical memory phenomena (Jacobsen et al., 2015). Not only does this offer a new avenue for clinical treatment regarding Alzheimer’s patients, but it also introduces a way of modeling the pathogenesis and progression of Alzheimer’s Disease from a multidimensional perspective.
Similarly, the impact of music on the brain’s mesolimbic system has been associated with a notable strengthening in the functional and effective connectivity between reward-mediating structures (Menon & Levitin, 2005). In the case of those suffering from major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia, these associations mean that listening to music may allow for the mitigation of negative symptoms, as these disorders promote reward-processing disruptions in dopamine circuitry that can result in decreased motivation and the reduction of self-reported pleasurable experiences (Whitton et al., 2015). Although much research has yet to be conducted on the most effective forms of musical intervention, as well as what types of music pose the greatest benefits to these individuals, preliminary evidence suggests that pairing preferred music with experiences of emotional expression results in the synchronization of neural populations for both musical perception and dopaminergic reward (Constantin, 2017). These findings suggest that music may be capable of rewiring the brain’s circuitry to assist with psychiatric rehabilitation.
In conclusion, these studies highlight the increasing focus on music as an applicable and accessible means of addressing various neurological concerns, due to its widespread activation of diverse brain regions and promotion of neural plasticity. Under the pressure of rising healthcare costs and the increasing prevalence of mental illnesses and neurodegenerative diseases, music and music therapy set the stage for more cost-effective and efficient solutions.
About the Author
Melissa Meng is a rising senior at Harvard College, concentrating in Neuroscience.
References
The brain is composed of several different regions that harmonize with one another to function as one cohesive network, not unlike how an orchestra coheres to perform a symphony. Interestingly, studies have revealed that music is capable of activating diverse networks of the brain, from the memory and limbic systems to the auditory, visual, and motor cortices (Sharma & Silbersweig, 2018). Repeated exposure to music is also capable of inducing plasticity within the brain. These changes promote the development of new neuronal pathways and increased connectivity between certain regions and allow for healing within patients who may have disrupted or dysfunctional networks (Shaffer, 2022).
According to the Parkinson’s Foundation, Parkinson’s Disease is one of the many neurodegenerative diseases that plague modern society with nearly 90,000 people in the United States diagnosed each year. Patients with this disorder present with disturbances in the psychomotor pathways as a result of dopamine deficiency and cerebral atrophy (Parkinson’s Foundation). Interestingly, passive music listening has been found to activate various brain regions within the motor system, even in scenarios where the individual is not moving (Gordon et al., 2018). This finding has prompted the use of rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS) and music therapy interventions for Parkinson’s patients, which have shown that listening to music can significantly improve gait by increasing both tempo and stride length (Machado Sotomayor et al., 2021). Similar results have also been found in patients suffering from hemiparesis as a result of stroke, in which the scientists observed increased balance, velocity, cadence, and stride length with RAS (Cha et al., 2014). This research suggests that music may be able to recover internal synchronization mechanisms that produce and regulate motor rhythmicity, resulting in greater stabilization of movement in time and space. The benefits of music, however, do not stop there.
The case of renowned singer Tony Bennett, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2016, shows just how powerful of a role music can play in the formation and retention of memories, both related and unrelated to music. During a performance, Bennett’s greeting of Lady Gaga by name for the first time in years led some researchers to suggest that music serves as means of “unlocking memories” (Clark & Warren, 2015; Shaw). fMRI studies have additionally proven that regions encoding musical memory demonstrate minimal cortical atrophy and enhanced connectivity between the anterior cingulate gyrus and components of the salience network, suggesting that the formation of new networks and preservation of certain long-term memory pathways might underlie these musical memory phenomena (Jacobsen et al., 2015). Not only does this offer a new avenue for clinical treatment regarding Alzheimer’s patients, but it also introduces a way of modeling the pathogenesis and progression of Alzheimer’s Disease from a multidimensional perspective.
Similarly, the impact of music on the brain’s mesolimbic system has been associated with a notable strengthening in the functional and effective connectivity between reward-mediating structures (Menon & Levitin, 2005). In the case of those suffering from major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia, these associations mean that listening to music may allow for the mitigation of negative symptoms, as these disorders promote reward-processing disruptions in dopamine circuitry that can result in decreased motivation and the reduction of self-reported pleasurable experiences (Whitton et al., 2015). Although much research has yet to be conducted on the most effective forms of musical intervention, as well as what types of music pose the greatest benefits to these individuals, preliminary evidence suggests that pairing preferred music with experiences of emotional expression results in the synchronization of neural populations for both musical perception and dopaminergic reward (Constantin, 2017). These findings suggest that music may be capable of rewiring the brain’s circuitry to assist with psychiatric rehabilitation.
In conclusion, these studies highlight the increasing focus on music as an applicable and accessible means of addressing various neurological concerns, due to its widespread activation of diverse brain regions and promotion of neural plasticity. Under the pressure of rising healthcare costs and the increasing prevalence of mental illnesses and neurodegenerative diseases, music and music therapy set the stage for more cost-effective and efficient solutions.
About the Author
Melissa Meng is a rising senior at Harvard College, concentrating in Neuroscience.
References
- Cha, Y., Kim, Y., Hwang, S., & Chung, Y. (2014). Intensive gait training with rhythmic auditory stimulation in individuals with chronic hemiparetic stroke: A pilot randomized controlled study. NeuroRehabilitation, 35(4), 681–688.
- Clark, C. N., & Warren, J. D. (2015). Music, memory and mechanisms in Alzheimer’s disease. Brain, 138(8), 2122–2125.
- Constantin, F. A. (2017). MUSIC THERAPY EXPLAINED BY THE PRINCIPLES OF NEUROPLASTICITY. Journal of the American Romanian Academy of Arts and Sciences, 1(1), 84–87.
- Gordon, C. L., Cobb, P. R., & Balasubramaniam, R. (2018). Recruitment of the motor system during music listening: An ALE meta-analysis of fMRI data. PLOS ONE, 13(11), e0207213.
- Jacobsen, J.-H., Stelzer, J., Fritz, T. H., Chételat, G., La Joie, R., & Turner, R. (2015). Why musical memory can be preserved in advanced Alzheimer’s disease. Brain, 138(8), 2438–2450.
- Machado Sotomayor, M. J., Arufe-Giráldez, V., Ruíz-Rico, G., & Navarro-Patón, R. (2021). Music Therapy and Parkinson’s Disease: A Systematic Review from 2015–2020. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(21), 11618.
- Menon, V., & Levitin, D. J. (2005). The rewards of music listening: Response and physiological connectivity of the mesolimbic system. NeuroImage, 28(1), 175–184.
- Prevalence & Incidence | Parkinson’s Foundation. Retrieved March 9, 2023, from https://www.parkinson.org/understanding-parkinsons/statistics/prevalence-incidence
- Shaffer, J. (2022). Enhancing Neuroplasticity Is Urgent: Music and Dance for the UN/WHO Decade of Action for Healthy Ageing for All. Journal of Ageing and Longevity, 2(3), 178–192.
- Sharma, S. R., & Silbersweig, D. (2018). Setting the Stage: Neurobiological Effects of Music on the Brain.
- Shaw, G. Tony Bennett Demonstrates the Power of Music Against Alzheimer’s Disease. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
- Sihvonen, A. J., Särkämö, T., Leo, V., Tervaniemi, M., Altenmüller, E., & Soinila, S. (2017). Music-based interventions in neurological rehabilitation. The Lancet Neurology, 16(8), 648–660.
- Whitton, A. E., Treadway, M. T., & Pizzagalli, D. A. (2015). Reward processing dysfunction in major depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 28(1), 7–12.
