The brains of people with epilepsy react differently to music than the brains of healthy people. This suggests that music may aid in seizure prevention therapies, the researchers said at the 123rd annual meeting of the American Psychological Association.
About 80 percent. of epilepsy is temporal epilepsy, characterized by a discharge of nerve cells in the temporal lobe of the brain. Music processing takes place in the auditory cortex, also located in the temporal lobe.
Using an electroencephalograph, scientists examined the brain activity of 21 epilepsy patients and a control group of healthy people while listening to classical music (Mozart) or jazz (John Coltrane) with 10-minute breaks during which there was silence.
While listening to music, brain activity of all participants was stronger, but in the case of people with epilepsy, it was clearly more synchronized with the sounds of music, especially in the temporal lobe.
According to the author of the study, Dr. Christine Charyton from Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center (USA), this suggests that music therapy may complement the currently used therapy methods.