This blog
is based the last installment of the Music Care Conference held at the Edward
Johnson building, Toronto on the 11th November 2012. There will be a
YouTube link to this conference
available soon.
The
conference began with an introduction by Professor Lee Bartel, who delineated
the objectives of the Music Care Conference. He outlined several research
spheres:
-
Therapy
and medicine as it relates to sound
-
Body,
brain and mind
-
Society
and culture
-
Medicine
and therapy
-
Sustaining
peak performance
These
topics, he said, will aid in the development of knowledge on topics such as
long term approach to musicians health, the effects of long term musical
training, music enjoyment and rehabilitation, music based sleep induction, and
rhythmic sound stimulation on Alzheimer’s patients.
He then
posed the question; “If I had a million dollars, what research would I do in
music medicine?”
Two
researchers ventured to answer this question, Dr. J Loewy and Dr. Gottfried
Schlaug.
Dr. Loewy
dealt with Music and Medicine in ageing research. Firstly, she examined the
public view of music therapy, stating that effective portrayal of music therapy
in the media would incite thought in the general populace. She refers to the
speech therapy portrayed in the movie ‘The King’s Speech’ as an example of
music therapy. She also mentioned the cases of Gaby Giffords and Helen Keller.
She then dealt with integrative medicine, focusing on the relationship between
caregiver and patient. She mentioned the relevance of caregivers and underlined
the need for greater emphasis of mind/body/spirit connections. This led into
her discussion on caregiver burden and how difficult the experience of caregiving
usually is. Finally, from the research perspective, she deals with the issue of
evidence and methodological challenges. She states that multiple sources of
evidence are preferable in research, and that the patient is the best source of
evidence.
Dr. Schlaug
dealt with Music and the brain – benefits of music-making and examples of
music’s therapeutic effects. Schlaug described music as a ‘multisensory motor
experience’ and an ‘alternative vehicle into dysfunctional parts of the brain’.
He goes on to say that more brain activation occurs during singing than during
speaking. He then deals with a particular part of the brain called the arcuate fasciculus which he claims is
responsible for mapping sound into action. Schlaug also says that humans are
normally born with this region of the brain equal on both sides, but generally
the left side tends to develop more. However, in autism, this section of the
brain develops differently. This having been said, Schlaug deals with the
therapeutic potential of music therapy, saying that it improves initiation and
gait in Parkinson’s patients (however, the effects are not long-lasting), that singing
improves stuttering and that intonation based therapy may help in cases of aphasia.
He also informed listeners that structural changes actually occurred in the
brains of individuals receiving music therapy.
Reflections:
Personally,
I find the concept of music therapy to be completely motivating and relevant,
so I posed Professor Bartel’s question to myself, what would I do with a
million dollars for music therapy research? I think I would use it to improve
the quality of life of individuals with disabilities, leaning on the concepts
of plasticity and entrainment, savantism, and development of physical
neurological structure. Dr. Loewy’s research would apply directly to this,
because making the public aware of the importance and effectiveness of music
therapy is an important step. Caregiver health should also be taken into
account, because this type of work can prove to be very challenging. The
exploration of the mind/body/spirit connection is facilitated by the use of
music, and disabled individuals would certainly benefit from this. Loewy’s
concern with methodological challenges is also important, because it is
difficult to quantify the experiences of human beings, but every piece of
research adds to this body of knowledge. Dr. Schlaug’s insight into the anatomy
of the brain in terms of development would also be helpful, especially concerning
the exploration of the development of the arcuate fasciculus in disabled
individuals. The continued exploration of how alternative neural pathways
develop in damaged brains will certainly contribute positively to this area of
research.
This
conference reminded me of the power of music therapy and the important role of
neurological research in this field. It is very important to keep this kind of
research on stream, especially if we are to provide a higher standard of life
for differently able individuals through the use of music.
1 comment:
I also find the concept of music therapy to be awe-inspiring. Just the idea that music can impact our bodies and brains in ways that can lead to the healing of disease is enthralling.
I think we will be seeing much more in the development of music therapies for Parkinson's. The fact that singing activates more parts of the brain than speaking is interesting, because it implies that singing requires a greater cognitive load than speaking. Despite this, singing seems to lower the inhibiting factors that cause stuttering. In Parkinson's, the fact that music and rhythm can improve motor-initiation and gait may also testify to this same process of balancing inhibitory forces, which I believe underlies the medicinal element to music therapy in the context of aiding motor-sensory cognitive tasks.
Dr. Schlaug was quick to note that there is no evidence that musical experience has a protective element in terms of Alzheimer's and stroke. Interestingly, he did admit that anecdotally, the musician population has a low rate of these diseases. This is something that is difficult to study but worth the effort. I would like to see this question answered, since it may allow our large aging population to immerse themselves with music as soon as possible to get the maximum benefit in the case there actually is a protective element.
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