The brain is made up of three main sections: the cerebrum, cerebellum, and brain stem. Together these sections make up the central nervous system that helps to transfer electric signals to the rest of the body. Within the cerebrum, there are four lobes that are responsible for different brain functions different jobs that are focused within the lobes. The frontal lobe is where Broca’s area is located, known to help control expressive speech and language. The frontal lobe also has an effect on music and the ability to sing. The temporal lobe is home to Wernicke’s area, which is responsible for the auditory processing and the comprehension of speech. This area of the brain is vital to language because impulses from the auditory system create an electrical signal-producing sound. Classic parietal lobe functions include sensory integration, memory retrieval, and mental rotation. In the domain of music, these mental functions translate to cognitive and perceptual manipulations with musical materials, such as learning and memory of sequences of pitches and rhythms. The supramarginal gyrus, near the temporal-parietal junction, is a region within the parietal lobe that has appeared in several studies on learning and memory. Activity in the supramarginal gyrus was significantly associated with memory performance, especially in musically trained subjects (Gabb, 2006). The occipital lobe is responsible for vision and visual perception.
There is a theory that a person can be either “right-brain dominant” or “left-brain dominant.” The right side of the brain is connected with artistic expression and creativity, while the left brain is connected with logical and verbal skills. This has led people to assume that musical abilities and engagement are only connected to the right side of the brain. While there is no proof to back up this theory, there is robust evidence that music is involved with all parts of the brain because melody & rhythm—the elements of music—stimulate both sides of the brain at one time. The left hemisphere is involved with skills such as rhythmic sequences and identification from the premotor cortex, instrument play, and reading music. The right side focuses on pitch and timbre quality recognition, melodic representation, performance skills and the ability to track rhythm. While it is true that the right side of the brain is heavily involved in music-making or music-listening in regards to analyzing pitches and creative expression--music involves both sides of the brain as well as the cerebellum. This increases the ability for the sides to “communicate” with one another.
Because different aspects of music are located in many different spots (are process by different spots rather than “lcoated”) along both hemispheres of the brain, music can be used to help aid patients with traumatic brain injuries (TBI) by creating new neural pathways in the brain to relearn skills lost due to damaged areas of the brain to create new ways of relearning where old neuron pathways are no longer functioning. (Thompson, 2014 does this citation belong to the prviosu sentence? ) Webster (1806) defines a traumatic brain injury as a “non-degenerative, non-congenital insult to the brain from an external mechanical force, possibly leading to permanent or temporary impairment of cognitive, physical, and psychosocial functions, with an associated diminished or altered state of consciousness”. Period goes inside quotation. TBI arises when the mechanics within the frontal lobe are not able to regulate the controls it was designed to control. These injuries threaten the function of neurological, physiological, cognitive, psychological and social dysfunction (Vik, Skeie, Vikana, Specht, 2018).
Because of the drastic life change, depression is a common side effect for those working through the process of rehabilitation with a TBI. Patients become withdrawn and apathetic to the rehab process. These feelings prevent engagement in social relationships, meaningful interaction, and commitment to the rehab process. By adding music therapy into these patients’ rehab team opportunities can decrease agitation and increase relaxation by helping focus on eye contact and relearning language and daily activities. Patients are given multiple different types of therapy each supporting the client’s growth through different means of structure.
Music Therapy is defined as “the therapeutic application of music to cognitive, sensory, and motor dysfunctions due to disease of the human nervous system” (Magee, 2005). Like other therapies, there are different techniques used to use music as a form of rehabilitation, but one therapy style continues to be utilized with those diagnosed with a TBI. Neurologic music therapy is defined as an advanced form of music therapy that utilizes evidence-based techniques to treat the brain. (Magee, 2005) These techniques emphasize the use of music and rhythm to achieve non-musical goals in the areas of cognition, physical movement, and speech (Gardiner & Horwitz, 2015).
Neurological music therapy (give NMT acronym here after stating what it is the first time) focuses on research which has demonstrated that music and rhythm affect many different areas of the brain at the same time, and the brain that engages in music is actually changed by that engagement (Baker, 2007). Music can help build new neural connections in the brain through experience and exposure which improves rehabilitative potential and the ability to create new neural pathways after trauma or injury. This allows individuals to lead more productive and functional lives. “Research has shown rhythmic cues provide comprehensive optimization information to the brain for re-programming movement. This makes it important that patients enter the rhythmic period because the period template contains critical information to optimize motor planning and motor execution” (Thaut, Mcintosh, & Hoemberg, 2015). Introduce and fold the quote in--prepare the audience for what you are talking about like “in a 2015 essay about NMT research Thaut, Mcintosh, and Hoemberg explain the use of rhythm in motor planning: “
In 2005, Magee began to study case studies of patients of all ages with varying severity of TBI injuries and observe the effect music therapy had on the individuals. She found treatments that place “greater emphasis on relationship factors may be more likely to engage and or re engage patients with TBI who are resistant to behavior change.” (Magee, 2005 pp.5). For example, a music therapist worked with a forty-four-year-old man 14 months post-TBI. It was noted he had no regular visitors and no family for support. At the beginning of therapy, the music therapists could not stay longer than two minutes before J would become abusive and the therapist would need to leave for her safety. When the therapist noticed J's main habit of smoking, she used this as a way to communicate. The therapists and client began to write songs about what smoking made him feel and escape from. After 6 months of therapy, J went from a 2-minute session to a 45-minute session. Nurses confirmed J was calmer and had learned an outlet to channel frustration, songwriting (Magee, 2005). Comma doesn’t work after fruststration, Use an em dash “frustration--songwriting”
Music therapy targets pragmatic communication skills such as turn-taking, listening, and eye contact. Evidence of music’s ability to increase attention, memory, and executive function, all are features of neurobehavioral disorders, have been tested with varying clients. M. is a 26-year-old man who sustained a severe TBI in a motor vehicle accident. Becoming agitated upon any movement or sound in his room, the music therapist focused on using music to reduce agitation. Music was tailored to match M’s behavior. M. did not react well to music in the beginning, but over the next five sessions, he improved becoming more alert and conscious of his surroundings and was beginning to make eye contact with the therapist. Two weeks later he began to sing and tap along to the music, attempting to communicate with the therapist. Music listening was found to enhance cognitive recovery and mood of individuals who have recently experienced a middle cerebral arterial stroke, and greater orientation and abilities to learn and retain new information. Separate those two sentences “Music listening was also show to lead to great orientation..” Patients can become more aware of and engage in strategies that increase their attention and tolerance levels. Music can be used as a way to recall information like creating a song to know how long to brush your teeth or how to get dressed in the morning. Rhythm and melody provide structure to organize, chunk and remember verbal information. (Magee, 2005)
Music’s ability to be used globally throughout the brain gives music therapy the power to be a successful source in the rehabilitation process. Studies have extensive research confirming the benefits of music-supported therapy in other areas of neurologic music therapy (Vik, Skeie, Vikana, Specht, 2018). Music therapy continues to recreate nerve pathways that have become blocked or destroyed by brain injury giving patients a new way to do old activities. Music gives structure to clients who need to be reminded how to brush their teeth, walk with proper gait, and need a positive outlet of expression. Depression and anxiety are common with TBI, but with music, clients are able to move past the difficult transition into a new way of living with coping activities and support groups. It is important that continual research is conducted in the field of neurological music therapy is needed to continue to make connections with music’s ability to be used as a new way to “rewire” pathways severed in the brain. Fix this last sentence--not sure what you were trying to say, but I think if you read it out loud, you will hear that it has some grammatical errors and doesn’t quite make sense. Also the NMT does conduct continual research--maybe here just suggest some resources/journals that people can read to be updated on current research.
-Macy Fehl, Music Therapy Intern
References
Baker, M., (2007). Music moves the brain to pay attention. In M. T. van Dijk, A. A. Fenton (Eds.), Neuron (pp. 832–845). Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier Inc.
Gaab, N., Schulze, K., Ozdemir, E., & Schlaug, G. (2006). Neural correlates of absolute pitch differ between blind and sighted musicians. Neuroreport, 17(18), 1853–1857.
Gardiner, J. C., & Horwitz, J. L. (2015). Neurologic music therapy and group psychotherapy for treatment of traumatic brain injury: Evaluation of a cognitive rehabilitation group. Music Therapy Perspectives, 33(2), 193-201. doi:10.1093/mtp/miu045
Magee, W., & Baker, M. (2009). The use of music therapy in neuro-rehabilitation of people with acquired brain injury. British Journal of Neuroscience Nursing, 5(4), 151-156.
Magee, W. (2005). Music therapy methods with children, adolescents, and adults with severe neurobehavioral disorders due to brain injury. Music Therapy Perspectives, 29(1), 5-13.
Vik, B., Skeie, G., Vikana, E., Specht, K. (2018). Effects of music production on cortical plasticity within cognitive rehabilitation of patients with mild traumatic brain injury. Brain Injury, 32(5), 634-643. doi:10.1080/02699052.2018.1431842
Thaut, M. H., Mcintosh, G. C., Hoemberg, V. (2015). Neurobiological foundations of neurologic music therapy: Rhythmic entrainment and the motor system. Frontiers in Psychology, 5(1) doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01185
Thompson, W.F. (2014). Music, thought, and feeling: Understanding the psychology of music (2nd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.
This is Your Brain on Music: The Science of Human Obsession by Daniel J. Levitin