Effects of Classical Music on Patients with Epilepsy

By Angela Khurana

There’s no denying that music can have a significant influence on emotions and behavior. Music is quite powerful: it can cause you to forget your emotions. Music stimulates more parts of the brain than any other human function, changing the brain and the way it works (“‘The Power”).

Classical music, in particular, is a very powerful form of music that can have a heavy influence on the brain. Classical music can improve cognitive abilities, even for babies developing in the womb. Listening to classical music can improve brain work by improving one’s IQ, shown by a study conducted on three groups of college students: the first group listened to Mozart’s Sonata, the second group listened to a relaxation tape, and the third group didn’t listen to music. Listening to Mozart proved to significantly increase the subject’s test scores, indicating an increase in IQ (“Music and Health”). Furthermore, listening to classical music helps improve communication skills, focus, creativity, and efficiency (“Harness the Power”). Unsurprisingly, classical music can also have striking benefits in the field of health care. Classical music can help improve patients’ stroke recovery and memory and cognition for individuals with Alzheimer’s (Leggieri et al.). In fact, classical music has a significant impact on patients with Epilepsy as well.

Epilepsy is a disorder in which nerve cell activity in the brain is disturbed, causing seizures. It is a fairly common disorder, with approximately 200,000 cases per year. Studies have shown that classical music, such as Mozart, can rapidly reduce the number of seizures in one with epilepsy. In a particular study, 13 participants with epilepsy listened to 2 different audio clips within a 6 month period: Mozart’s Sonata for Two Pianos in D major and an arrhythmic version of the same piece (Asprou). Half of the patients listened to Mozart’s Sonata for Two Pianos in D major for three months and then switched to the scrambled version for the remaining 3 months. The other half of the patients, on the contrary, first listened to the scrambled version daily for three months and then listened to Mozart’s Sonata for Two Pianos in D major for the remaining 3 months. The two groups listened to the music in different orders to prevent confounding and to ensure the order the music was listened to did not affect the results of the study. The patients documented their seizures within the 6th month time period, and it was shown that listening to Mozart’s Sonata significantly reduced seizure frequency in individuals with epilepsy in comparison to the scrambled version. Thus, classical music has been proven to be an alternate treatment for individuals suffering from epilepsy (“Mozart May Reduce”).

There are various theories on how classical music has such a significant effect on epilepsy seizures. Some scientists have suggested that mirror neurons cause the anticonvulsant effect. Mirror neurons, neurons in the brain which allow us to understand others’ actions, intentions, and feelings, are released when an individual performs an action while listening to classical music (Motluk). These neurons link the auditory stimulation directly to the motor cortex and as a result, change the modulation of the motor system (a system where epileptic seizures arise from).

Another theory proposes that classical music increases the exposure to dopamine in the brain. Dopamine (a chemical messenger which causes us to feel pleasure) plays a significant role in influencing the number of seizures in epilepsy. The reduced binding capacity of dopamine receptors in the basal ganglia (the part of the brain responsible for the contraction of muscles) has contributed to the seizures in multiple types of epilepsy. Classical music, Mozart in particular, is attributed to D2 receptor stimulation in the forebrain, causing the anticonvulsant effects (Maguire).

Epilepsy, a disorder causing seizures, can be treated by listening to Mozart, a form of classical music. Although further research is needed for the science of the anticonvulsant role of music on epilepsy, it has been proven that listening to Mozart daily can significantly reduce the number of seizures in patients with epilepsy. Furthermore, classical music has proven to be significantly more effective at influencing epileptic seizures in comparison to other forms of music.

Works Cited:

• Asprou, Helena. “Mozart’s Music Can Reduce Seizure Frequency in People with Epilepsy, Study Finds.” Classicfm.com, 11 June 2020, www.classicfm.com/composers/mozart/music- could-reduce-seizure-frequency-epilepsy/. Accessed 9 July 2020.
• “Harness the Power of Classical Music: Five Reasons Why Classical Music Should Be on Your Playlist.” Cmuse.org, 14 Mar. 2017, www.cmuse.org/power-of-classical-music/. Accessed 9 July 2020.
• Leggieri, Melissa, et al. “Music Intervention Approaches for Alzheimer’s Disease: A Review of the Literature.” Frontiersin.org, 12 Mar. 2019, www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2019.00132/full. Accessed 9 July 2020.
• Maguire, Melissa Jane. “Music and Epilepsy: A Critical Review.” Wiley Online Library, 21 May 2012, onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1528-1167.2012.03523.x. Accessed 9 July 2020.
• “Mozart May Reduce Seizure Frequency in People with Epilepsy.” Sciencedaily.com, 10 June 2020, www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/06/200610135018.htm. Accessed 9 July 2020.
• “Music and Health.” Health.harvard.edu, July 2011, www.health.harvard.edu/staying- healthy/music-and-health. Accessed 9 July 2020.
• “‘The Power of Music’ to Affect the Brain.” Npr, 20 Apr. 1971. Academic Complete, www.npr.org/2011/06/01/136859090/the-power-of-music-to-affect-the-brain. Accessed 9 July 2020.
• Motluk, Alison. “How the Brain Detects the Emotions of Others.” Newsceintist.com, 12 May 2008, www.newscientist.com/article/dn13874-how-the-brain-detects-the-emotions-of- others/. Accessed 12 July 2020.

This post was written in collaboration with an organization called RECURE (Research In Epilepsy Cure). Their mission is to raise awareness for epilepsy through research, fundraising, and exploration. You can visit their website at www.teamrecure.com.