Anine Thoresen

Music: a shockwave of life

World population is almost at 8 billion. Around 1 in 9 have Alzheimer's. That is 8 million people. That is 89 Wembley Stadiums filled to capacity, side by side.

The percentage of people with Alzheimer's and dementia increases with age, from five percent of people aged 65-74 to 33 percent aged 85 and older have Alzheimer dementia. These numbers hold the crushing reality of almost eight million vanishing minds, memories, personalities and childhood stories.

They are lives lived, and lives gone. Dreams dreamt and fulfilled, and some lost, for us to keepsake. They are little notes in calendars with plans that never came to be. They are someone we know all too well, who became a mystery.

Evandro Fei Fang is a molecular gerontologist and an associate professor at the Department of Clinical Molecular Biology at University of Oslo, as well as head of his own research lab. His lab researches different ways to keep the brain healthy and young for as long as possible, and how to stall the development of Alzheimer's – one of the most common age-affected diseases.

Dementia is an umbrella term – it’s a group of many types of diseases regarding memory loss, whereas Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of dementia with around 70 percent of all dementia patients, have Alzheimer's. He notes that he has located was he has called 'garbage', in an area that controls your GPS, that is what way is north, west, south and east, the first place Alzheimer's has been found, seemingly making it the echo-centre.

One major reason for the difficulty Fei Fang explains, is the fact that Alzheimer's based on definition is not caused by the same thing – it’s a cluster of different things – so while one person might have got Alzheimer's because of environmental causes, another might have inherited the disease and another might be caused from diabetes – therefore it's hard to find a solution that will help every single patient – that is, one single approach to treat all different subtitles of Alzheimer disease. Fei-Fang notes that mental health is an important factor and 'invisible' risk and contribution to Alzheimer's. It has been reported that elders in care homes often struggle with loneliness, anxiety and depression.

He argues that music is a great approach and way for elders to socialise, as well as being exposed to the benefits of music. Socialising combined with the impact of music on the brain can alter the quality of life, which has been shown to reduce memory loss. There is absolutely nothing out there that reaches people the way music does. It can completely transform how a person interacts with the world.

Geir Olve Skeie is a neurologist at Haukeland University Hospital and professor at Grieg Academy, where he lectures about music and the brain. He says that dementia patients can remember all verses of songs they’ve had relationships with, such as from their youth, lullabies and folksongs. Music triggers the brain's limbic system, a system that interconnects different central areas that support various functions, including emotion, behaviour, motivation, long-term memory and smell.

Music has a direct influence on our emotions, it has a direct path. In comparison to language, it doesn’t need to go through a consciousness – it directly connects to our emotion and memory. Something called musical memory. Which even in dementia patients, are seemingly untouched compared to other parts of the brain. Music impacts the rewards system in our brain which release dopamine. Dopamine is a naturally produced drug, known as the happiness drug. It works as a neurotransmitter, a chemical messenger, encouraging certain activities and behaviours.

It is vital for different body functions, including memory, movement, motivation, mood, attention and more. According to Skeie, dopamine leaves traces behind in the brain, and one can see changes. Skeie notes that people who work with music show results in stalling symptoms of dementia and Alzheimer's. 

Skeie points to a study conducted at Haukelands University Hospital researching patients with early signs of dementia. The study divided patients into three separate groups; One group got no treatment except usual medicine, the second group sang in a choir and the third group focused on exercise. The study found that after just one year, the latter two groups had quantitative results. By analysing tests and scans they were shown to have a younger looking brain than one year prior. So, music does have a positive impact on dementia patients? Music is a functional way to stall symptoms of the disease.

Justine Schneider, a professor of Mental Health and Social Care, research the social aspects of dementia, such as carers, care burdens, psych-and social intervention. Professor Schneider found that out of all social interventions, the most powerful of all is music, and music therapy. As a social researcher I was aware that there was not a lot of research on that topic at that time, and arguably still not enough. Music therapy can be in groups or one-to-one. A music therapist finds out all about a patient's exposure to music, their knowledge and understanding of music. They find out what's relevant to them, explore sound making, and develop a whole session around what the patients want to do and how. Most of the time they will use music from their youth, often from the decade that corresponds to when they were around 15-years old.

And in situations where you have patients acting out, or showing signs of discomfort and anxiety, music can be a tool to calm them down. In an ideal world all nurses know about music therapy, in the way that they can incorporate it in their workday as a tool. Runa Bosnes Engen is a music therapist working at a nursing home in Oslo, Norway. I followed her from room to room as she sang and played guitar to residents in the form of one-to-one sessions, group sessions and a session in collaboration with the nursing homes physiotherapist, combining music and movement. She notes that in addition to music therapy sessions she sometimes is present at residents' last moments if the family wishes so.

She has found that music is a highly functioning anxiety reductant and often appreciated by both patients and family members in those moments and in everyday life. The residents rock from side to side, clap with such enthusiasm and joy, sing along to songs they recognize from their childhood, shake their hand percussions eagerly. Music brought happiness, ease, joy, smiles and laughter. I had wonderful conversations with patients. You could tell the difference in them. When the music was switched, so were they. There is this known phenomenon, where right before someone die, they have this clear moment, where they can talk to their loved ones, like the body is allowing the mind to say goodbye.

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