New neuroscience research suggests relief from the often debilitating mystery sounds generated in the auditory system called tinnitus may some day be alleviated.
I just came across this article in ScienceDaily and wanted to share it. Unfortunately I cannot elaborate in this post, but I am encouraged to see the research interest in exploring the role of the central auditory pathway in tinnitus.
Read the article here http://bit.ly/cJ8L0m
The ear serves in part as an environmental monitoring system, sending the brain signals in response to vibrational input to understand the world around us; to move, learn, communicate, adapt, survive and thrive.
The middle ear is the gateway to a neural filtering system that helps us receive auditory information such as human speech and to simultaneously filter out unwanted sound or noise which can damage the delicate structures of the inner ear resulting in hearing loss, hyperacousis, stress, and a host of other problems.
Many recognize the vital connection between the ear and body’s fight-flight response, which is physiologically linked from the middle ear to the vagal regulation system. The polyvagal theory of psychologist Stephen Porges provides a clear understanding of this mechanism. The Listening Program® with bone conduction technology is used in part as a training method to improve the function of this system.
Now a new in vivo study at Tufts University shows for the first time that there is a stress response system within the cochlea (inner ear) that mirrors the signaling pathways of the fight-flight response and protects against noise induced hearing loss. This is an exciting finding that further reveals what a marvel the auditory system is and the critical role it plays in our lives.
Read more about the Tufts study.
Rett syndrome is a unique developmental disorder first recognized in infancy and is generally seen in girls. It is often misdiagnosed as autism, cerebral palsy, or a developmental delay. Caused by mutations in the X chromosome it occurs in 1 of every 10,000-23,000 female births. Rett syndrome causes problems in the brain affecting; learning, communication, sensory processing, movement, breathing, cardiac function, chewing, swallowing, digestion, and more.
The host of challenges that come with a Rett syndrome diagnosis affect the family as a whole, with most individuals requiring assistance in most every aspect of their life. The needs vary through the four stages of Rett syndrome from Early Onset, Rapid Destructive, Plateau, and on to Late Motor Deterioration.
A British research study showed that 5 girls with Rett Syndrome benefitted from listening to a music listening method developed by my company Advanced Brain Technologies called The Listening Program®. The findings show improvements in a number of areas with the strongest trend toward increased engagement and decreased anxiety. Sensory processing appears to be improving which is consistent with outcomes of other studies. These findings were presented by the investigator Helen Francis at the International Rett Syndrome Congress in Paris back in October 2008.
We are encouraged by these results and the potential to improve the quality of life for those with Rett syndrome. A larger controlled trial should be conducted, and I am hopeful this study will help make that happen.
Review the research poster and learn more about Rett syndrome at the International Rett Syndrome Foundation.
Researchers at the University of Oregon have identified a new auditory channel for sound processing. This is an interesting study that could lead to the development of new treatments that could improve auditory processing with implications for better speech discrimination. More information is available in the February 11 issue of journal Neuron.
For the full article please visit ScienceDaily.
The Klinghardt Academy of Neurobiology is holding a conference in Bellevue, Washington this month called Healing the Brain 2010. I will be presenting a talk titled Applications of Music Listening Therapy. If you are interested in leading edge protocols for brain health, this conference will be well worth your time.
| HEALING THE BRAIN CONFERENCE 2010 February 19-22, 2010 Hyatt Regency Bellevue, SeattleIn recent years ALS, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s disease, autism and other disorders of the central nervous system are increasing exponentially. Something is happening. What is it? This conference will explore the hidden causes of brain dysfunction and illness in both children and adults and also carefully discuss available diagnostic and treatment options. Practitioners will come away with a synthesis of new ideas and new, cutting-edge protocols to put into their practice right away. Healing the Brain is sponsored by the Klinghardt Academy of Neurobiology. Invited guests include Neurologist and Author Eric Braverman, MD, Daniel Amen practitioner Brian Goldman, MD, Master Herbalist Donald J. Yance, Lab Analysis Expert Mark Schauss, Australian Brain Integration Expert Charles Krebs, Coagulation Expert David Berg, MAPS (system to repair brain dysfunction) creator Claudie Gordon-Pomares, Color and Light Therapy Expert Alice Nixon, LCSW and Alex Doman, founder and CEO of Advanced Brain Technologies. Alex will be presenting The Listening Program® method of music listening therapy as it is widely used as an approach to support brain health and performance. A practical understanding of this fusion of art and psychoacoustic science including a discussion of air and bone conduction delivery of sound will be explored. |
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A new study reveals that music activities can improve communication in toddlers who have received cochlear implants.
Some infants who are born with impaired hearing and who cannot benefit from hearing aids are likely to gain 90% normal hearing ability by undergoing a cochlear implantation procedure. Following the operation, however, the child — who never heard before — undergoes a long rehabilitation process before he or she can begin to speak.
In the present study, Dr. Dikla Kerem of the University of Haifa examined the particular effects that music therapy has on the potential development of toddlers (aged 2-3 years) who have undergone cochlear implantation, specifically in terms of improving spontaneous communication.
“Music comprises various elements that are also components of language and therefore as a non-verbal form of communication is suitable for communication with these children, when they are still unable to use language. Communicative interactions, especially those initiated by the toddlers, are critical in the development of normal communication, as they are prerequisites for developing and acquiring language,” explains Dr. Kerem. She adds that the toddlers undergoing rehabilitation are under much pressure from their surroundings — especially the parents — to begin talking, and sometimes this pressure makes them become introverted. As such, music therapy lends itself to strengthening these children’s nonverbal communication and thereby lessens the pressure on them for verbal exchange and response.[1]
Music can serve to open up the auditory receptivity of these children, lowering their defenses and providing an opportunity to gradually process and understand the components of sound that make up receptive and expressive language. It is a way into a fragile system in need of gentle stimulation and support.
Read the full article.
Music works, music heals; it unlocks our emotions, creativity, spirituality, and the infinite potential of the brain. It is also a way to tap into the memories of someone suffering with Alzheimer’s Disease according to Dr. Concetta Tomaino, who has studied the therapeutic effects of music for more than 30 years.
Caregivers have observed for decades that Alzheimer’s patients can still remember and sing songs long after they’ve stopped recognizing names and faces. Many hospitals and nursing homes use music as recreation, since it brings patients pleasure. But beyond the entertainment value, there’s growing evidence that listening to music can also help stimulate seemingly lost memories and even help restore some cognitive function.
“What I believe is happening is that by engaging very basic mechanisms of emotions and listening, music is stimulating dormant areas of the brain that haven’t been accessible due to degenerative disease,” says Concetta Tomaino, executive director of the Institute for Music and Neurologic Function, a nonprofit organization founded at Beth Abraham in 1995. 1
Read the complete article by Melinda Beck in The Wall Street Journal.
1Retrieved November, 26, 2009 The Wall Street Journal “A Key for Unlocking Memories” http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704538404574540163096944766.html
It may sound strange but we read with our ears. A recent study at Northwestern provides clear evidence to support the groundbreaking theories developed by the late Alfred Tomatis, M.D. in the mid twentieth century about the role the ear plays in reading.
The vast majority of school-aged children can focus on the voice of a teacher amid the cacophony of the typical classroom thanks to a brain that automatically focuses on relevant, predictable and repeating auditory information, according to new research from Northwestern University.
But for children with developmental dyslexia, the teacher’s voice may get lost in the background noise of banging lockers, whispering children, playground screams and scraping chairs, the researchers say. Their study appears in the Nov. 12 issue of Neuron.
Recent scientific studies suggest that children with developmental dyslexia — a neurological disorder affecting reading and spelling skills in 5 to 10 percent of school aged children — have difficulties separating relevant auditory information from competing noise.
The research from Northwestern University’s Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory not only confirms those findings but presents biological evidence that children who report problems hearing speech in noise also suffer from a measurable neural impairment that adversely affects their ability to make use of regularities in the sound environment.
“The ability to sharpen or fine-tune repeating elements is crucial to hearing speech in noise because it allows for superior ‘tagging’ of voice pitch, an important cue in picking out a particular voice within background noise,” said Nina Kraus, Hugh Knowles Professor of Communication Sciences and Neurobiology and director of the Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory.
In the article “Context-dependent encoding in the human auditory brainstem relates to hearing speech-in-noise: Implications for developmental dyslexia,” Kraus and co-investigators Bharath Chandrasekaran, Jane Hornickel, Erika Skoe and Trent Nicol demonstrate that the remarkable ability of the brain to tune into relevant aspects in the soundscape is carried out by an adaptive auditory system that continuously changes its activity based on the demands of context.1 Click here for full article.
These findings are consistent with part of the underlying theories behind our work at Advanced Brain Technologies. This research and studies on musical training at Northwestern provides support to warrant further studies on the potential of using music listening therapy (The Listening Program®) as an intervention for struggling readers.
1 Retrieved November 12, 2009 http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/nu-nbf110309.php
On October 30th the Cleveland Clinic Arts & Medicine Institute is presenting Music and the Brain: A Symposium with Integrated Live Performances in collaboration with Lincoln Center in New York, NY.
Neuroscience and music is an area that is finally beginning to get the attention it deserves. This symposium focuses on the relationship between music and the nervous system. It is aimed at educating physicians about this novel and unique field of “neuromusic” which studies the effect of music on the normal and abnormal physiology of the nervous system, treats certain neurological conditions using music as a therapeutic tool and treats the neurological consequences of misuse of music. It also aims at educating physicians about the status of research in the field of music and the brain.
I am attending the symposium, and one of my colleagues, Vera Brandes, will be presenting a talk on the chronobiological aspects on the use of music. Vera’s company Sanoson, focuses on the prescriptive use of music as a healing modality and designs custom music systems for medical facilities. Those of you acquainted with my work are aware that my company Advanced Brain Technologies develops neurobased therapeutic music programs: so this conference is of great interest to me, especially since I have been co-writing a book on the topic with Don Campbell (The Mozart Effect) for the course of the past year.
For more information or to register visit http://bit.ly/3cJwiz. If you attend please introduce yourself!
Researchers at Northwestern University have revealed that music training may in fact help you listen in noisy environments.
Thirty-one study participants, with normal hearing and a mean age of 23, were divided into one group with music experience and another without it. They had to listen to sentences presented in increasingly noisy conditions and repeat back what they heard.
The study shows that musicians — trained to hear sounds embedded in a rich network of melodies and harmonies — are primed to understand speech in a noisy background, say in a restaurant, classroom or plane.
It is the first demonstration of musical training offsetting the deleterious effects of background noise, and the implications are provocative.
The study points to a highly pragmatic side of music’s magic,” said Nina Kraus, Hugh Knowles Professor of Communication Sciences and Neurobiology and director of Northwestern’s Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory, where the research was done.
Better perception in noise was linked with better working memory and tone discrimination ability. The results imply that musical training enhances the ability to hear speech in challenging listening environments by strengthening auditory memory and the representation of important acoustic features.
By reinforcing the pervasive effects that musical experience has on sound-processing abilities, Nina Kraus stressed, this study underscores the importance of music education being more accessible to the general population.[1]
The Listening Program® (TLP) is a method of music listening therapy developed by my company Advanced Brain Technologies. TLP includes classical music specially arranged, recorded, and modified with acoustic features that help the listener in part, extract specific sounds from other sounds within music just as the musician does when practicing or performing.
By listening to this music with certain natural attributes psychoacoustically-modified including the mechanisms of tone, intensity, time, and space we find that listeners refine discrimination skills that generalize into practical life experiences such as listening in a classroom, restaurant, and in the work place.
This study provides further support to the theory behind our approach to listening training. Further, someone may not need to be a musician to experience such benefits but can turn to a method such as The Listening Program for the purpose of improved listening in the presence of background noise, a result frequently reported to us by providers using this approach with children over the course of the last ten years.
