The brain section in charge of ASMRs appears to be “immune” to Alzheimer’s and dementia. Some music moves our feet, other music inspires us to change the world, and other music moves our soul.
When we listen to music we love, our brain does something which is known as ASMR or Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response that feels like a tingling in the brain. This is a natural reward that some describe as ‘head orgasm’.
And, ASMR is very special, according to the study. Let’s learn why…
Music Stays in Our Brains despite Dementia
The recent study published in Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease Journal showed that the ASMR part of the brain doesn’t get lost because of dementia. The study also indicates that music may help Alzheimer sufferers to get out of the disease’s haziness, even for a short amount of time.
This phenomenon has been noticed several times; however, it has never been studied adequately. One of the most popular examples is the story of Henry who “comes out” of his dementia while he listens to songs from his youth days.
Why Does this Happen?
According to Jeff Anderson, associate professor of Radiology at the Utah Health University and contributing author to the study, in our society, the dementia diagnoses are on the rise.
And, no one is saying that playing music can cure this illness; however, it may be of aid to ease the management of the symptoms, lower the care costs, and better the individual’s quality of life, Anderson believes.
Dementia is a serious brain disease which slowly consumes the individual’s energy, emotions, and memories. It is indeed a terrible illness and unfortunately, there is no cure for it yet.
The Power of Music
Without doubt, music is the most intangible of all the arts. Though visual art helps decorate rooms and literary art helps decorate our thoughts, music decorates time.
Music is experienced by the body and mind and in our minds; the music can live for our whole lives while the physical waves of the sound move through our bodies.
According to this study, it appears that Andy Dufresne was right in the Shawshank Redemption when he said the famous line “That’s the beauty of music. They can’t take that away from you.”
When we listen to music we love, our brain performs ASMR and the effect is similar to that of dopamine, but isolated to the head. Though it may not seem as much, these ASMRs are kept in the brains and remain there for a later revisiting.
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