Musician's Notes Create Memorable Brains
Dr. David Demko, Gerontologist and Editor
AgeVenture Syndicated News Service, Boca Raton, Florida
Johns Hopkins scientists have discovered
that when jazz musicians improvise, their brains turn off areas
linked to self-censoring and inhibition and turn on those that let
self-expression flow.
Though many recent studies have focused on understanding what parts
of a person's brain are active when listening to music, few
have delved into brain activity while music is being spontaneously composed.
The researchers designed a special keyboard to allow the musicians to
play inside a brain-scanner that identifies which areas of the brain
are active while a person is involved in a mental task.
Each musician took part in exercises designed to
separate out the brain activity involved in playing simple memorized
piano pieces as compared to improvising music.
The musicians were then asked to play an original blues melody that
they all memorized in advance, while a recorded jazz quartet that
complemented the tune played in the background.
Finally,
the musicians were told to improvise their own tunes with the same
recorded jazz quartet.
FINDINGS
- research subjects demonstrated strikingly similar patterns of brain activity.
- the brain's prefrontal cortex showed a slowdown in activity when subjects improvised.
- increased brain activity in area linked to expression of individuality, such as telling a story about yourself.
According to gerontologist, David J. Demko, PhD this research
complements previous findings indicating that engaging in the practice
of music (learning to play, performing, composing) significantly increases brain health while reducing the risk
to cognitive disorders such as dementia and Alzheimers.
This research was funded by the Division of Intramural Research,
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders,
National Institutes of Health.
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