Music as Medicine for the Brain

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Set at ease by familiar melodies, they may be more apt to communicate, too. Even people at advanced stages of the disease sometimes see improvements in attention and alertness, sociability, and overall functioning following music therapy. The reason, experts suspect, is that music stimulates areas deep within the amygdala and hippocampus, where emotion and long-term memory are processed. Both are less prone to the degenerative effects of Alzheimer's than the outer cortex, the hub for complex thought. Music played at a wedding, a religious service, favorite songs from childhood, or concerts from the teenage years or young adulthood can serve as cues to recover memories, says Suzanne Hanser, founder of the music therapy department at Berklee College of Music in Boston and a practicing therapist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Not everyone will respond, and it may take several sessions to see any effect, says Hanser. She finds that simple stress reduction techniques such as facial massage or muscle release exercises can often enhance the music's magic.