7.+Dopamine+and+Music

= MUSIC **-- ** =

Listening to music is usually considered to be an enjoyable experience, (depending on the musical tastes of listeners, of course!). The pleasure that is attributed with the experience of music has been linked to dopaminergic mechanisms within the brain, which is also known as the reward system. This system is also responsible for the pleasurable feelings associated with food, sex, as well as using drugs such as heroin (Levitin, 2007).

Recent research findings have observed neurological changes in subjects listening to songs they considered to be enjoyable. Through both positron emissions tomography (PET) scanning and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), researchers were able to witness surges of dopamine in the striatum during different moments of the selected songs – during the most thrilling part of the song, (parts of the song that tended to produce chills or goose bumps in listeners), and approximately 15 seconds prior to the climax (Salimpoor et Al., 2011). This surge of dopamine provides insight to the intense emotional reactions listeners experience when listening to their favourite songs. The increase of dopamine during music listening is also speculated to contribute to an improvement in motor functioning in patients with Parkinson’s Disease, as the incorporation of music-based therapy seems to improve mobility ( Matoh & Kezuhara, 2008).



[] Several studies have shown that incorporating music into therapy can facilitate motor control. For example, subjects of a study exploring the effectiveness of mental singing tasks and mobility had markedly improved their gait while mentally singing as they walked (Matoh & Kezuhara, 2008). Researchers Matoh and Kezuhara have noted that this improvement is associated with regulating the dysfunction of the basal ganglia (the dopamine pathway) with song (2008). Improvements in mobility and speech functioning have also been observed when people simply listen to music, or play instruments (Levitin, 2007). Although there is still much to be explored regarding the exact neurochemical basis of how music helps to improve motor functioning in those with Parkinson’s Disease, it is clear that music does have a way with significantly improving motor function in patients with Parkinson’s Disease and more research is encouraged in order to improve current forms of therapy.



 Listening to music is usually considered to be an enjoyable experience, (depending on the musical tastes of listeners, of course!). The pleasure that is attributed with the experience of music has been linked to dopaminergic mechanisms within the brain, which is also known as the reward system. This system is also responsible for the pleasurable feelings associated with food, sex, as well as using drugs such as heroin (Levitin, 2007). Recent research findings have observed neurological changes in subjects listening to songs they considered to be enjoyable. Through both positron emissions tomography (PET) scanning and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), researchers were able to witness surges of dopamine in the striatum during different moments of the selected songs – during the most thrilling part of the song, (parts of the song that tended to produce chills or goose bumps in listeners), and approximately 15 seconds prior to the climax (Salimpoor et Al., 2011). This surge of dopamine provides insight to the intense emotional reactions listeners experience when listening to their favourite songs. The increase of dopamine during music listening is also speculated to contribute to an improvement in motor functioning in patients with Parkinson’s Disease (Ibid; Matoh & Kezuhara, 2008). Several studies have shown that incorporating music into therapy can facilitate motor control. For example, subjects of a study exploring the effectiveness of mental singing tasks and mobility had markedly improved their gait while mentally singing as they walked (Matoh & Kezuhara, 2008). This improvement is associated with regulating the dysfunction of the basal ganglia (the dopamine pathway) with song (Ibid). Improvements in mobility and speech functioning have also been observed when patients simply listen to music, or play instruments (Levitin, 2007). Although there is still much to be explored regarding the exact neurochemical basis of how music helps to improve motor functioning in those with Parkinson’s Disease, it is clear that music does have a way with significantly improving motor function in patients with Parkinson’s Disease and more research is encouraged in order to improve current form of therapy.