Alzheimer’s symptoms can be relieved by listening to music

According to researchers at the University of Toronto, the operation of the brain for people with moderate trouble remembering, learning new things, concentrating, or making decisions that affect their everyday life can be improved by listening to nostalgic music. This creates an opportunity for improving the medical disorder by using music.

Research has been carried out with 8 musicians and 4 people who weren’t musicians. The researchers created a playlist of music and had it on for an hour per day over the course of 3 weeks, it consisted of both songs that participants chose and ones that held no personal attachment to them.

After the hour of listening, functional MRI scans (Magnetic resonance imaging) were conducted to identify any differences in operation and structure of the brain. Special attention was paid to the prefrontal cortex with its central role being in cognitive control functions.

The results were as follows:

Brain activity was focused on the auditory cortex for new music

Brain activity focused on the prefrontal cortex for music the participants were familiar with.

There was a slight variation in the brain results for musicians and non-musicians.

Professor Michael Thaut, senior author of the study, said “We have new brain-based evidence that autobiographically salient music – that is, music that holds special meaning for a person, like the song they danced to at their wedding – stimulates neural connectivity in ways that help maintain higher levels of functioning. Typically, it’s very difficult to show positive brain changes in Alzheimer’s patients. These preliminary yet encouraging results show improvement in the integrity of the brain, opening the door to further research on therapeutic applications of music for people with dementia – musicians and non-musicians alike.”

He continued: “Whether you’re a lifelong musician or have never even played an instrument, music is an access key to your memory, your pre-frontal cortex. It’s simple: keep listening to the music that you’ve loved all your life. Your all-time favourite songs, those pieces that are especially meaningful to you. Make that your brain gym.”

Associate professor in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, Corinne Fischer, said “Music-based interventions may be a feasible, cost-effective and readily accessible intervention for those in early-stage cognitive decline. Existing treatments for Alzheimer’s disease have shown limited benefit to date. While larger controlled studies are required to confirm clinical benefits, our findings show that an individualised and home-based approach to music-listening may be beneficial and have lasting effects on the brain.”