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| Science & Technology |
| Drumming to your fave tunes helps repair traumatic brain injuries |
| 2010-03-05 |
| The opening riff of “Takin' Care of Business' thumps rhythmically from an iPod as a room full of middle-aged military veterans tap in time on drums. This is the sound of brain rehab. Studies show that music can promote new neural connections, which Colorado State University neuroscientist Michael Thaut theorized could help overcome common symptoms of traumatic brain injury (TBI), such as short-term memory loss and impaired decision-making skills. Thaut and his colleagues enrolled 31 veterans suffering from TBI in a “neurologic music therapy' study where each drummer matches rhythms and tempos set by a bandleader. Last summer, they published results that show that after several 30-minute sessions, the group performed better on standard decision-making tests. One beneficiary of the treatment is retired U.S. Air Force senior master sergeant Jim Dowding. After two stress-related strokes—a common non-combat cause of TBI—he didn't dare take a wrench to his beloved 1979 Lincoln. “I couldn't work on anything with more than two pieces,' Dowding says. But since he began drumming, “I work on my car all the time.' Next Thaut and his team will compare the long-term effects of the therapy with today's computer-based therapies. He hopes to eventually offer it to the hundreds of troops returning from war with TBIs. |
| Posted by:trailing wife |
| #8 I find it interesting when olde ways are scientifically proven. |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2010-03-05 17:41 |
| #7 There are all sorts of potentially useful variants to this, that are real "brain teasers", some used by musicians, some not. For example, "pat your head and rub your belly". Writing and drawing with your left hand if you are right handed. Writing in longhand, but tilting your words to the left. Orchestra conductors train with a simple technique of hand tapping. For example, their right and left hands do a "one-two" beat, left and right, on a table in front of them, so they are moving mirror image. Then their left hand changes to a "one-two-three" beat at the same tempo and time. This is not easy. Learning to use chopsticks by using them to move marbles from one box to another. Ben Franklin's memory game. A tray full of small, different objects covered by a thin, opaque cloth. Remove the cloth for 10 seconds, while looking at the objects, then cover the tray again. Then write down as many of the objects as you can remember. They should also get a bunch of Simon electronic memory games. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2010-03-05 11:25 |
| #6 Yup. For those without brain damage, the CDs/MP3s that Kelly Howell has developed have a pretty good reputation and track record. Search on Brainsync and ignore the new agey trappings ... |
| Posted by: lotp 2010-03-05 07:37 |
| #5 It should be noted that lotp's comment about 'frequency of choice' is after a determination of the frequency(s) that are determined to be where the brain is functioning badly. The research has shown that 'tuning' the frequency of a TBI patient's brain to a different frequency can have beneficial effect. As a recent victim myself of 'minor' TBI as a result of a motor vehicle accident, I had already figured out that watching/listening to my favorite bands playing live was therapeutic. This article is very interesting to me. As well, I may be undergoing the 'frequency' treatment myself to resolve some very minor, yet still TBI-like persistent symtoms. Advice: If you are involved in even a minor incident that has even the slightest possibility of trauma to the brain and you notice even a MINOR effect, insist on seeing a specialist, even a therapeutic psychoanalyist (psychiatrist). I've since met people that were involved in incidents that they now recognize resulted in post-concussive symptoms but, due to lack of diagnosis at the time, lacked treatment and may have put themselves at risk of secondary injury (which is MOST dangerous). This applies to people in sports as well (search NFL +concussion), especially children. |
| Posted by: logi_cal 2010-03-05 07:34 |
| #4 Kind of goes like this: |
| Posted by: Omiger Munster7997 2010-03-05 06:28 |
| #3 The rhythmic movement is a form of brainwave entrainment. Same thing happens when music and dance are used by shamans and dervishes to enter a state of coherent brain activity in a certain frequency. Most people think that the brain - body link goes one way but we now have clinical evidence that each affects the other. There's a lot of rebuilding required to repair major brain damage, but it's encouraging that it is happening. For people without major brain damage, there are several decades of research that show that listening to certain rhythms and sound frequencies can induce more coherent brainwave activity at frequencies of choice, from the slowest frequencies associated with deep sleep through states conducive to creativity up to the super focused state that top athletes experience during peak performance. Some of the neurochemical pathways involved have been identified in detail. |
| Posted by: lotp 2010-03-05 06:06 |
| #2 Having fun is good for you? |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2010-03-05 02:54 |
| #1 Theraputic Device |
| Posted by: badanov 2010-03-05 00:35 |