By Judith Fales

Often, Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients who can barely walk become more mobile while listening to music, a phenomena addressed in a National Institute of Health abstract titled “Music Therapy and Parkinson’s Disease: A Systematic Review from 2015-2020,” which highlights the benefits of music and rhythm-based therapy interventions for patients with PD and other movement disorders.

In another example of how music can alleviate disease symptoms, I recently watched an Instagram video in which a young woman sang Ave Maria with a man diagnosed with advanced dementia. Amazingly, the man was able to sing all of the lyrics effortlessly.

Dan Levitin, MSc, PhD, a cognitive psychologist, neuroscientist, writer, musician, and record producer, says music’s impact can now be found in every region of the brain through brain-mapping. One book on this subject is Music and Mind, Harnessing the Arts for Health and Wellness, edited by Renee Fleming. Fleming, a highly acclaimed singer, has long been an advocate for using music and art therapies for many health conditions. Her book includes articles from neuroscientists and artists who agree, including Yo-Yo Ma, Ann Patchett, and Rhiannon Giddens.

Few scientists began studying this phenomenon until recently. “You could have put us in a rowboat. Now you would need a large ferry,” said Aniruddh D. Patel, PhD, Psychology professor at Tufts University, during a recent lecture at the Chautauqua Institution. In studying the connection between speech and singing in the brain, Dr. Patel says that people who have suffered a left-brain stroke that resulted in aphasia (loss or impairment in using or comprehending words) can be treated with melodic intonation therapy (MIT), which uses singing to regain speech. This is particularly significant, as there is no current effective medication or surgical intervention available to these patients. MIT has also been used to treat children on the autism spectrum.

Patel also discussed the need for more research on rhythmic auditory training to improve gait velocity, cadence, and stride length in patients with PD. Some patients he studied said they not only walked better with music, but also actually walked to the beat of the music. Patel now wonders if music can help preserve memory function in healthy older adults, and if amateur musical training can also enhance speech processing in healthy brains.

Fleming thinks music should be embedded and broadly accessible in our health care system now that integrative and preventive medicine are increasingly being adopted as part of standard treatment. She also thinks insurance companies should do more to cover these therapies, saying, “With quality research, doctors and health care providers who recognize the benefits of these personalized, low-cost, noninvasive procedures can refer more patients to creative arts therapists.”

The good news is that many such programs are currently available for individuals in Buffalo affected by PD, dementia, autism, and other disabilities. Community Music School of Buffalo, Buffalo Hearing & Speech Center, Buffalo Niagara Music Therapy, Bloom Creative Arts & Therapy, Matts Music, Hospice Buffalo, The McGuire Group Health Care Facilities and Absolut Care, and Music to Remember are some examples.