Curiously Awesome

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Researchers say regularly listening to music…whether classical, jazz or pop…creates a pronounced increased acceleration in the recovery for patients recovering from strokes.

Studies reported recently that after a stroke the verbal memory of patients was boosted by 60 percent in regular music listeners, 29 percent in non-listeners and 18 percent in audio book listeners.

For comparison, patients who received no musical stimulation had little or no improvement.

The study lasted two years and involved 60 stroke victims divided into three groups. Every day one group listened to music, one group to an audio book reading and the third to nothing. During the study they underwent cognitive and psychological tests.
The memory improvements still remained six months after the completion of the trials.

An arousal of part of the brain created by the melodies is stimulated by the release of the hormonal neurotransmitter dopamine. The music apparently stimulates the damaged areas of the brain and assists the brain’s ability to repair and renew its neural networks after damage.

There is considerable research pointing to the benefits of music therapy for many conditions including autism, dementia and schizophrenia. Patients who listened to music experienced less depression and emotional stress.

Listening to music every day during early stroke recovery offers a valuable addition to recovery care especially if other active forms of rehabilitation are not immediately available.