Research Shows Music Activates Brain in Alzheimer ’s Patients

This study set out to examine amechanism that activates the attentional network in the salience region of the brain.The results offer a new way to approach anxiety, depression and agitation in patients with dementia.Learn More -Alzheimer's Care Anger, Frustration, and AgitationActivation of neighboring regions of the brain may also offer opportunities to delay the continued decline caused by the disease.The StudyFor three weeks, the researchers helped participants select meaningful songs and trained the patient and caregiver on how to use a portable media player loaded with the self-selected collection of music.“When you put headphones on dementia patients and play familiar music, they come alive. Music is like an anchor, grounding the patient back in reality.” ~ said Jace KingLearn More -Alzheimer's World -- The New RealityUsing a functional MRI, the researchers scanned the patients to image the regions of the brain that lit up when they listened to 20-second clips of music versus silence.The researchers played eight clips of music from the patient ’s music collection, eight clips of the same music played in reverse and eight blocks of silence. The researchers compared the images from each scan.The ResultsThe researchers found that music activates the brain, causing whole regions to communicate.Music Boosts Memory in Alzheimer ’s PatientsBy listening to the personal soundtrack, the visual network, the salience network, the executive network and the cerebellar and cor...
Source: Alzheimer's Reading Room, The - Category: Neurology Tags: Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's Patients brain health memory music research science Source Type: blogs