Place for brain trauma injury discussion
MUSIC AND THE BRAIN
For many children and adults in most cultures, learning language and learning music is an easy, ongoing part of life. Music and language become a means of learning and participating in the cultural, emotional and social stages of life.
However, for some with an inherited gene and others with brain injuries, learning music is more difficult. Those with this difficulty, known as amusia, have an ongoing struggle in recognizing and processing pitch, producing musical sounds, learning musical memory and in recognizing differences between rhythm and melody. Learning the important cultural tunes in not possible nor is singing along at events.
Those with amusia report hearing music as unpleasant, as noise or as annoying. This failure to appreciate and understand music, amusia, is also known as musical deafness. These symptoms include the inability to recognize familiar melodies or lyrics, impairments include difficult singing or writing music or playing an instrument or whistling or humming.
Two types of amusia are noted. Acquired amusia occurs as the result of a brain injury, and is the more common type of amusia. Congenital amusia, which is inherited, occurs at birth in four percent of the population and is a deficit in fine pitch discrimination. Congenital amusia can be referred to as tone deafness.
Studies have indicated that the brain has separate lobes, sections of the brain, and neural networks to process speech and to process music. Each lobe has specific functions and neural networks process the incoming and outgoing information to and from the brain. The temporal lobe functions include acquiring memory, perception, object recognition, and understanding music.
Current information indicates that musical deafness or amusia is a disruption in the temporal lobe and in both hemispheres or sides of the brain. Memory also plays an important role in music and the brain. Memory is required to integrate and process music. Those with amusia while experiencing failures in appreciating music do not have related disruptions in the ability to speak.
Famous amusia sufferers include Theodore Roosevelt, Che Guevara, Milton Friedman, Sigmund Freud, and others.
There is no known treatment for amusia. However, there is evidence that those with brain injuries can gain from listening to music. Among the benefits are memory improvement and new learning.
That is the premise for the CD Rhythm For The Brain. See www.RhythmForTheBrain.com for more information.
However, for some with an inherited gene and others with brain injuries, learning music is more difficult. Those with this difficulty, known as amusia, have an ongoing struggle in recognizing and processing pitch, producing musical sounds, learning musical memory and in recognizing differences between rhythm and melody. Learning the important cultural tunes in not possible nor is singing along at events.
Those with amusia report hearing music as unpleasant, as noise or as annoying. This failure to appreciate and understand music, amusia, is also known as musical deafness. These symptoms include the inability to recognize familiar melodies or lyrics, impairments include difficult singing or writing music or playing an instrument or whistling or humming.
Two types of amusia are noted. Acquired amusia occurs as the result of a brain injury, and is the more common type of amusia. Congenital amusia, which is inherited, occurs at birth in four percent of the population and is a deficit in fine pitch discrimination. Congenital amusia can be referred to as tone deafness.
Studies have indicated that the brain has separate lobes, sections of the brain, and neural networks to process speech and to process music. Each lobe has specific functions and neural networks process the incoming and outgoing information to and from the brain. The temporal lobe functions include acquiring memory, perception, object recognition, and understanding music.
Current information indicates that musical deafness or amusia is a disruption in the temporal lobe and in both hemispheres or sides of the brain. Memory also plays an important role in music and the brain. Memory is required to integrate and process music. Those with amusia while experiencing failures in appreciating music do not have related disruptions in the ability to speak.
Famous amusia sufferers include Theodore Roosevelt, Che Guevara, Milton Friedman, Sigmund Freud, and others.
There is no known treatment for amusia. However, there is evidence that those with brain injuries can gain from listening to music. Among the benefits are memory improvement and new learning.
That is the premise for the CD Rhythm For The Brain. See www.RhythmForTheBrain.com for more information.
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