One Mozart song calms people with epilepsy, and we may know why
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A Mozart sonata has been found to have a calming effect on the brains of those with epilepsy, with new research that may explain why.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Researchers played Mozart’s </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major K448</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> to 16 patients hospitalised with epilepsy who did not respond to medication, with hopes that music could become a new avenue of non-invasive treatment.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Our ultimate dream is to define an ‘anti-epileptic’ music genre and use music to improve the lives of those with epilepsy,” </span><a href="https://www.sciencealert.com/listening-to-mozart-somehow-helped-people-with-epilepsy"><span style="font-weight: 400;">said</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Robert Quon of Dartmouth College and a co-author on the new study.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In the study, the team monitored the brains of the patients using brain implant sensors to detect the occurrence of short but harmful brain events called IEDs, which epileptics suffer between seizures.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After 30 seconds of listening to </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">K448</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, the scientists found that the rate of IEDs decreased, while significant effects were seen in parts of the brain associated with emotion.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But, it was when they compared the participants’ responses to the structure of the song that they saw a pattern.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The effects of the music seemed to increase during transitions between longer musical phrases, which Dr Quon says may create a sense of anticipation.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When the phrase is answered in an unexpected way by the next phrase, it creates “a positive emotional response”.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In contrast, patients showed no change in brain activity when listening to other stimuli or songs that weren’t </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">K448</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, including a Wagner work characterised by changing harmonies but “no recognisable melody”.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This isn’t the first time </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">K448</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> has been shown to have beneficial effects either.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In 1993, scientists claimed that people who listened to the song for 10 minutes or more showed improved spatial reasoning skills.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Since then, more research has tested its effects on various brain functions and disorders such as epilepsy.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The authors of the new study argue that this is the first time that observations have been connected to the song’s structure, which they described as being “organised by contrasting melodic themes, each with its own underlying harmony”.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The study, published in </span><em><a rel="noopener" href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-95922-7" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Scientific Reports</span></a></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, noted that additional testing comparing </span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><em>K448</em> </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">to other pieces may further close in on the song’s therapeutic aspects.</span></p>
<p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Getty</span></em></p>
