Rave on for Alzheimer's Disease!
Why music helps keep brains healthy.
It is well understood that music stimulates the brain in ways which are unique. Scans of the brains of people listening to music show the activation of multiple areas (Abram 2013). When the person is making music instead of just listening to it the activation of the brain is even greater (Wan 2010). This why music therapy is such a fantastic way of transforming lives. Our brains 'get' music and using that power to bring opportunities and enrichment to others is why music therapists get out of bed in the morning. Music offers the possibilities of all human emotional expression and it is the most magical medium for therapy.
What is maybe less well understood are the potential benefits of music for prevention and maintenance in Alzheimer's Disease. Music activates many areas of the brain. When an area of the brain activates it gets increased blood supply. What is crucial to this is the link between the blood supply to the brain and the drainage of waste (Diem et al 2016). Waste, or to be clear, the build up of waste is associated with the death of brain cells is a key feature of Alzheimer's Disease. The loss of brain cells leads to memory loss and progressively the loss of other functions as well.The good news is that the arteries bringing the blood to the brain also have the mechanism for removing this amayloid waste. This means that activating an area of the brain also stimulates the draining of the amayloid waste from that area. Stimulating the brain is also draining waste from the brain at the same time.
If you are over 40 you will have some amyloid build up. Keeping your brain stimulated by doing different things is a way of minimising that build up. Singing in the bath, dancing to the radio and tapping on the steering wheel as you drive along could all be protective for your brain. Anything that you do engages your brain: add music and that could make it even more powerful and effective as a protective activity for your brain. And for those already diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease engaging in music making is not just a nice pass time but a potential way of maintaining the brain function for as long as possible.This is in addition to the known improvements in cognition and mood which music therapy offers. In your own way party hard or Rave on with Alzheimer's. What ever music engages you Sinatra or Saint Sanes allow your self that gift as often as possible.
The take away is party hard; enjoy as much music as you can in as many ways as you want to. Listen to music, move to music, make music and all the time you are know that you are helping keep you brain as clean and healthy as you can!
Meta Killick
Enjoy Music Therapy
A simulation model of periarterial clearance of amyloid-beta from the brain
Diem, A.K., Tan, M., Bressloff, N.W., Hawkes, C., Morris, A.W.J., Weller, R.O. and Carare, R.O.
(2016)
A simulation model of periarterial clearance of amyloid-beta from the brain.
Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 1-30. (doi:10.3389/fnagi.2016.00018).
Inter-subject synchronization of brain responses during natural music listening
Article first published online: 11 APR 2013
DOI: 10.1111/ejn.12173
Music Making as a Tool for Promoting Brain Plasticity across the Life Span
PMCID: PMC2996135
NIHMSID: NIHMS251950
that settles it - party hard and keep healthy. Love it!
ReplyDeleteThanks Paul, wrote this from a presentation at Winchester Uni on Arts and Dementia. The research is pretty clear and I don't think enough people really understand. Dr Carare was super definite for a scientist's perspective that engaging in the music you love in what ever way works for you is not an extra but an essential. Any help LWH can give you to make the case for resourcing people to access message me and will do. Staying up late at concerts and dancing till dawn could really help people live longer and healthier lives.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree. There's nothing like music with its rhythms and harmony to create that "feel good" feeling. Joining in just simply makes it even better.
ReplyDeleteGlad you agree Sheila. Everyone who wants it can have that 'feel good' feeling and the best life possible enjoying music.
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