Music, Epilepsy and the Brain. Stephen Brown

Transcription

1 Music, Epilepsy and the Brain Stephen Brown

2 this may increase your IQ by a few points for a few minutes (or not)

3 Music What s it for? Mood & music Musical morbidity Cognitive aspects

4 What s it for? Music has a common evolutionary origin with verbal language (Rousseau said the same) There are universal meanings in certain note progressions, harmonies & rhythms (e.g. falling minor 6 th ) Musical language mainly expresses emotion & is related to prosody in speech

5 EEG brain mapping with FFT spectral analysis most people show increased EEG power in right hemisphere when listening to music trained musicans also show this in the left hemisphere emotionally moving music has effect on frontal lobes

6 ERP studies various reports unexpected spoken words generate N400 wave unexpected music notes generate P600 wave found in general population, more marked in musically trained both can be modified by selective attention

7 Some later ECoG studies

8 ECoG studies in γhigh ( Hz) range superior temporal gyrus (STG) studies responsive cortical sites in both STGs distinct spatial organization in right STG with dissonant-sensitive sites located anterior to nonsensitive sites (Foo et al. Front Hum Neurosci 2016)

9 Some brief caveats Most published studies involve western diatonic music & western subjects there is now ongoing transcultural work ECoG studies involve subjects with brain pathology design issues (numbers, controls) recent work is more rigorous

10 And now for something completely different...

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12 That was of course Александр Невский by Прокофьев

13 Now to reverse that...

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15 normal subjects Mood Music as therapy, distinguish Music Therapy (active) from passive listening

16 In neurological conditions (Raglio. World J Psychiatr (1) 68-78) musical interventions reduce anxiety & depressed mood improve emotional expression, communication, self esteem & QOL music can activate amygdala, hippocampus & nucleus accumbens these are known to show impaired function in depression music engages several social functions increases communication & social cohesion making music improves motor functioning which may also have positive effect on mood

17 Musical Morbidity

18 Amusia vs absolute pitch Saffran (2003) and others infants may have absolute pitch replaced by relative pitch depending on music exposure or learning certain languages exact relationship is more complex early exposure important but interplay of constitutional and environmental factors lack of music exposure can t account for amusia (Peretz 2012) NB absolute pitch is more common in Williams Syndrome

19 Epilepsy & Music

20 Musicogenic epilepsy (Maguire 2017, after Pittau 2008) What might you expect? Female predominance High musicality Mean age of onset 28 years Two-thirds have spontaneous seizures preceding musicogenic seizures Autonomic auras common (25% oroalimentary automatisms) Right temporal lobe ictal onset Variable musical stimulus

21 Musical ictal & interictal phenomena hallucinations (16% temporal lobe epilepsy) musical automatisms singing, whistling, humming negative phenomena aprosody & amusia interictal musicophilia

22 Music as treatment for epilepsy residential school observations reduced epileptiform EEG activity if classroom has background music playing recent interest has focussed on Mozart Dastgheib (2014) meta-analysis - overall reduction of interictal epileptiform discharges in 84% on listening to Mozart (not just K448)

23 Lin et al. Epilepsy Behav 2011, 20,

24 Also please consider effects of treatment on musical ability surgery but also drugs personal observations with professional musicians taking antihistamines carbamazepine & oxcarbazepine effects altered pitch perception reversible

25 Cognitive & developmental aspects as cognitive enhancer mainly Mozart (no time to expand here) role in cognitive & emotional development crucially important!

26 Early music training positive effects on auditory memory and attention (Koelsch et al, 1999, Strait et al, 2010, Kraus et al, 2012) positive effects on general intelligence and executive functions (Schellenberg, 2004, Moreno et al, 2011) improves understanding speech in noisy environments (Parbery-Clark et al, 2009, Zendel & Alain, 2012) improved language processing (Milovanov et al, 2008) enhances literacy skills (Tierney & Kraus, 2013) Kraus (various studies) shows benefits on socialisation & conduct disorders

27 "Training benefits extend beyond music skills, resulting in higher IQs and school grades, greater specialized sensory and auditory memory/recall, better language memory and processing, heightened bilateral hand motor functioning, and improved integration and synchronization of sensory and motor functions. These changes last long after music training ends... (Dawson 2014)

28 Pretty massive evidence that music education enhances reading, writing and numeracy skills (inter alia)

29 Evidence based government (not)

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31 Summary so far Music may be seen as part of language & therefore has neurodevelopmental aspects prosody & emotion Musical morbidity not just musicogenic epilepsy Therapeutic aspects Making music involves other skills & contributes to cognitive emotional & social development

32 Scientific literacy for politicians

33 (Exit music)