I recently received an email from my brother Glenn with an article that I want to share. So much of what he sends me is so distressing but this was something uplifting and since many of you are musicians, I thought you might also enjoy it, as I did. My brother is also a musician and I have often said I believe he inherited all the musical genes in our family. I suspect that may have been a factor in him sharing this. He has also been sharing the most outrageous (and sometime funniest) things going round on our world right now after he found I am no longer consuming the latest news. He follows the news so that I do not need to. I am grateful. Thanks, Bro.
The “Mozart Effect”
For all the effects music is thought to have on the brain, classical music seems to fall in a gray area. One side seems to think it makes children smarter, while others file this notion under the psychological myths we fall for. A new Finnish study aims to clarify this classic connection.
“Although brain imaging studies have demonstrated that listening to music alters human brain structure and function, the molecular mechanisms mediating those effects remain unknown,” researchers wrote. “With the advent of genomics and bioinformatics approaches, these effects of music can now be studied in a more detailed fashion.”
Case and point: Researchers performed genome-wide transcriptional profiling from the peripheral blood of participants after they listened to classical music — and again without music exposure.
In layman’s terms, researchers studied music’s effects on a molecular level, something they cited prior research hasn’t done before. They had one group of participants listen to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 3 in G major, K.216 for 20 minutes, and another didn’t listen to any music. Instead, they were advised to avoid listening to music the day before the study and spent their session either talking to other participants, reading a magazine, or walking outside.
The results showed listening to classical music enhanced activity of genes involved in dopamine secretion (the feel good hormone), and “transport synaptic function, learning and memory.” One of the most up-regulated genes was synuclein-alpha (SNCA), which is a known risk gene for Parkinson’s disease. This gene is also how songbirds learn songs.
“The up-regulation of several genes that are known to be responsible for song learning and singing in songbirds suggest a shared evolutionary background of sound perception between vocalizing birds and humans,” Dr. Irma Järvelä, lead study author, said in a press release.
While classical music worked to regulate some genes, it “down-regulated” others associated with neurodegeneration — the process of neurons losing their structure or function — “suggesting the importance of familiarity and experience in mediating music-induced effects.”
Music therapy continues to be an area of scientific interest. Prior research has shown hip-hop lyrics offer individuals suffering from cognitive illnesses a fresh way of thinking, while creating, singing, moving, and/or listening to music reduced symptoms in depressed children and adolescents.
Source: https://www.medicaldaily.com/listening-classical-music-enhances-gene-activity-update-mozart-effect-325680#.VRvv3pJuSUE.facebook
I remember a line from Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis where he reflected on enjoying someone play classical music and thought that he could not really be becoming a cockroach if he could still appreciate the music. I believe it was his sister playing the violin, but I am not sure of the details. It has been a very long time since I read Kafka, but I often remember this scene. Somehow, he seems very relevant today. I think Gregory scurried up the wall and across the ceiling after that.
I especially like knowing that about songbirds. I also recently caught another uplifting news report about a challenged child who could imitate any songbird and became accepted by sharing his gift with his classmates.
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