(Essay Research)
Alzheimer’s is a disease that is caused by a build up of proteins that tangle in the brain causing brain cells to die over time and eventually shrink the brain. As it progresses, Alzheimer’s causes a multitude of problems that affect the brain and nervous system. Some of these include; memory loss, cognitive decline, language and communication issues, mood and personality changes, and disorientation. With no cure for the disease and a significant rise of cases in recent years, more and more research is being done into the subject. Research surrounding sonic memories and the lasting impact they have on patients is particularly fascinating. In a 2015 study (led by neuroscientist Jörn-Henrik Jacobsen) researchers mapped regions of the brain that are activated by familiar music, identifying specific areas of the brain that react and respond. They then looked into the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. They found that these areas involved in processing the musical memories experience little shrinkage or cell death. The regions of the brain that help encode music-associated memories are thought to be the last to go in Alzheimer’s patients.
To understand how our brains interpret and integrate music with memory, I thought it be best to look into how the brain processes it first. Although it is pretty a complicated, scientific process, I have gone into quite simple detail with it, in order to grasp an understanding.
Through a complex network of regions that work together, we’re able to experience such a rich sensory occurrence. First, the auditory cortex (located in the temporal lobe) is responsible for processing all auditory information, it decodes the basic features of sound like pitch, rhythm, and volume. Helping us to recognise melodies and distinguish instruments from the voice. At the same time the motor cortex is activated as it responds to the beat or rhythm, often causing these trigger movements like tapping your foot (this can be involuntary). Music also engages the Limbic system, involving the amygdala and hippocampus, two key parts of your brain responsible for emotion and memory. These 2 areas of the brain (the amygdala and hippocampus) are heavily activated when listening to music hence the intense emotional feelings that can occur when listening. These and the prefrontal cortex are also accountable for the deep rooted connections and memories made to music. The prefrontal cortex recognises patterns within the music, allowing us to form presumptions and expectations about where the music will go, as well as attaching personal meaning to it. Finally, the nucleus accumbens, the pleasure and reward centre of the brain, releases dopamine whilst listening to music, explaining the deep sensation it can create.
Alzheimer’s spreads through the brain in a pattern, typically beginning in the areas responsible for verbal memory and facial recognition, then ending in the brainstem (which is critical for the function of heart and lung control and swallowing). As I mentioned before, the long-term memory of music remains intact until the very last stages of the disease. Alzheimer’s patients, even in the much later, deeper stages who aren’t that verbal or communicative, often show an emotional response to music, remembering the emotional connection they once formed with it, providing a sense of comfort and restored identity.
Oliver Sacks’ book ‘Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain” (2007) Explores the relationships between music and the human brain, especially through neurological case studies. Offering a powerful insight into music and memory in relation to Alzheimer’s disease. Sacks observed that music therapy could reduce agitation, spark verbal communication, and create a temporary but incredibly meaningful sense of clarity for the patients. This video below (a clip from ‘Alive Inside: A Story of Music and Memory’, 2014) portrays one patient whom which Sacks uses as an example for the incredibly reaction music can have on the damaged brains.
As a reaction from these discoveries, music therapy has become an increasingly popular form of treatment for Alzheimer patients. Playing familiar music to act as this kind of catalyst for improved; cognitive function, mood and communication skills, as well as reducing anxiety and agitation.
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