Recall a song that reminds you of your childhood, a safe place, a special someone, or even a traumatic experience. Research shows that music has the power to trigger certain memories and emotions. In 2020, researchers Alaine E. Reschke-Hernandez, Amy M. Belfi, Edmarie Guzman-Velez, and Daniel Tranel from the United States studied the effects of music on people suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) to understand how music can improve memory.
A careful examination of the effects of familiar music on feelings of emotion in individuals with AD would contribute to our understanding of the lasting impact that music can have on the emotional state of an individual, in the context of impaired declarative memory.
Image by mohamed_hassan from Pixabay
The Study
People suffering from AD experience memory loss. In this study, the AD patients listened to music that induced certain emotions and after was asked to complete a memory test. It was found that AD patients felt emotions corresponding to what the song expressed (e.g. happy songs = happy feelings, sad songs = sad feelings), these feelings lingered for 20 minutes, and their answers to the memory test showed that AD patients were able to remember certain information.
The Science
The amygdala is responsible for memories and emotions, the salience network is involved in stimulus-response, the executive network is in charge of attention, the cerebral network is for cognitive and motor functions, and the occipital lobe is in charge of vision. Research shows that when listening to music all these centres in the brain are activated, even for AD patients. Below is a youtube clip from ABC Science describing brain activations when listening to music.
(Skip to timestamp 7:30 for description)
THE IMPORTANCE
In Canada, 39% of people suffering from AD live in long-term care homes. This means they lack contact with family and friends, and live without the love and care that they need. On the other hand, the 61% of AD patients who live at home receive that love and care, but their lack of memory causes them to forget family members names and faces. Therefore, music therapy can give AD patients living in care homes a sense of familiarity and peace, and help AD patients living at home remember their family members names and faces even just for a little while. Below is a youtube clip by Asociación Música para Despertar of a ballerina suffering from AD who remembers her dance routine when listening to the “Swan Lake” song.
Overall, music not only gives people pleasure but is also an effective tool for healthcare. Although more research needs to be done to effectively use music as a therapeutic for AD patients, science and music have made it possible to extend the quality of life for those suffering from AD. To wrap up, I leave you with a youtube clip from the documentary “Alive Inside” by Michael Rossato-Bennett about AD patient Henry who “comes alive” when listening to music.
– Teaya Cabael
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