Music: The Unlocking of Forgotten Memories in Alzheimer's Patients
Music: The Unlocking of Forgotten Memories in Alzheimer's Patients Alzheimer's disease is probably the most mean counterpart of life, which slowly strips one of memory and thought. In this dementia cloud, though, there is one powerful tool that pierces through mental haze: music. Research has shown that music can evoke strong emotional responses and memories even in cases of advanced Alzheimer's. The Amygdala and the Power of Emotion The small, almond-shaped region of the brain at the core of this phenomenon is called the amygdala. The important thing here is that it has a primary role in the processing of emotions. The amygdala forms firm connections with the hippocampus, which is in charge of memory. So, when we hear a piece of music, the activation is occurring in the amygdala and the hippocampus, thus highly linking it to that moment emotionally and in memory. Even though the hippocampus might be severely damaged in Alzheimer's sufferers, the amygdala is usually muc