So, I don’t know, why the knowledge about the relationship between “Music and the Brain” currently are so widespread and NOT understood. My role in these blog is write about music and neuroscience and try explain for the big importance that it’s have for us. So, indeed, I decided write this topic, because just released the fourth season of “Stranger Things” and I’m excitement because this season was amazing mainly because of it's neuroscientific references with the music.
If you already watched the new season, you know what I’m talking.
In the new season, the song “Running Up That Hill” was able to save Max from Vecna's hands. The song connected to her on an emotional level and was able to allow her to break away from the trance when she was under Vecna’s curse (Abramovich, 2022). Vecna works with psychic connection in her victims' minds using their past traumas against them before killing them so that a gate to the Upside Down would open up because of the connection he established with his victims.
Max had been dealing with the trauma of watching her older brother Billy die in front of her when he saved her and your friends. She believed that could’ve done something to prevent Billy’s death or, at the very least, savor their last moments together. But Vecna made her believe that she wanted Billy to die.
Eventually, Vecna was able to take Max’s consciousness until your realm in the Upside Down while her body was still in the real world in a trance-like state. The hellish creature chased her around his domain until he was finally able to capture her and was about to kill her.
While all of that was happening, the duo of Nancy and Robin investigated a man named Victor Creel, whose family was one of Vecna’s first victims all the way back in the 50s. They realized that he was able to break out of Vecna’s curse when he heard his favorite song playing in the background while he was in a trance. As the doctor of the mental institution said, “music has a way of reaching the deeper levels of a person’s emotion”, and Nancy and Robin figured out that music could help break a person out from their trance.
The favorite song was allowed Max’s mental state to escape Vecna’s realm in the Upside Down as she was able to reconnect with her emotions after listening to the song.
It's already easy to see that Vecna is a diabolical creature in our minds, (anxiety, depression, traumas, fears) that leave us outside this world and put us on a world Upside Down. We was no exit, no pleasure and no fells life.
This Power of the music don’t limit in the fiction…
This power is biggest in our world…
Here below i will you explain the "why" that music had this "power" of break Vecna's trance.
What the Music Do in Our Brain?
Music is able to create an intensely pleasurable experience (Blood & Zatorre, 2001). Listen to music sometimes gives us "chills" or any kind of intensely pleasurable emotion. This can generate many changes in cerebral blood flow in the brain regions such as the amygdala, orbitofrontal cortex, ventral striatum, midbrain, and the ventral medial prefrontal cortex. Many of these areas appear to be linked to reward, motivation, emotion, arousal, and are also activated in other pleasurable situations.
In 1977, Ian Dury released his single “Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll”. Sex, drugs, and music, all affect the regions of our brain that comprise our “reward system,” using the neurotransmitter dopamine to communicate and enhance reward related memories.
Music offers an alternative that can help us tap into our intrinsic mood-stabilization systems that are mediated by hormones and neurotransmitters.
The term “hormonal” is usually associated with our mood and the swings it can go through, but in reality hormones play a role in almost every bodily function and can be influenced by external forces.
With music isn’t exception.
So, I separated some of biggest “famous” between us:
Dopamine - Is a neurotransmitter that can also act as a hormone, by entering the bloodstream and affecting regions outside the brain. When it comes to listening and interacting with our favorite music, dopamine is known as the “feel-good” neurotransmitter because it stimulates our pleasure receptors and helps us feel more positive about life. These feel-good moments can lead to greater focus and productivity. This was Max's best friend at the time of Vecna's trance LOL.
Serotonin - Is a neurotransmitter that is important to the regulation of our mood. Music is widely thought to promote mood stabilization by acting on our serotonin system.
Our levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, have been shown to drop dramatically when we listen to relaxing music. The lower the levels of cortisol, the less stressed or anxious we feel.
In patients undergoing surgery, music has been found to be just as effective as anti-anxiety medication at lowering pre-operative anxiety. (Therapy, 2021)
The evidence here is quite clear music acts like a drug.
Neurologists have long known that there were areas of the brain specifically dedicated to processing music, and with the advent of advanced brain imaging technology, they’ve discovered that music’s reach is far more extensive than previously believed.
Here below are the main parts of the brain that interwined with the music:
Prefrontal Cortex - Music influences our cognitive processes (Moreno, 2009.)
Motor Cortex - Involved in music-related movements including dancing and playing (Li, 2015)(Herholz, 2012).
Corpus Callosum - Connects the two hemispheres and is larger in musicians (Schlaug, 1995) (Münte, 2002) (Steele, 2013).
Amygdala - Enhances our memories of emotional (experiences Hermans, 2014),(Yang, 2017).
Cerebellum - Helps process and regulate rhythm and timing (Nozaradan, 2017).
Sensory Cortex - Processes tactile feedback when dancing or playing (instruments Olszewska, 2017) (Borich, 2015).
Auditory Cortex - Analyzes sounds and tone (Nelken, 2011).
Hippocampus - Involved in music memories, experiences (context Koelsch, 2018).
Visual Cortex - Stimulated when reading music, watching others dance or music videos (Huff, 2021).
I think that until here, you already get it "how Max come out that trance" right ?
if you don't
stay calm
keep reading...
How music arrives in our Brain?
Pause to think about it...
Our body have ability to translate sound into signal.
is incredible.
It's quite a complex and intricate system.
Our auditory system converts pressure waves into meaningful sounds. This translates into our ability to hear the sounds of nature, to appreciate the beauty of music, and to communicate with one another through spoken language. Let’s go for step-by-step explanation about overview of the basic anatomy and function of the auditory system and how people hear from the moment sound waves arrive to the outer ear to organize and communicate with the external world.
Step 1: Sound waves enter the ear
When a sound occurs, it enters the outer ear, also referred to as the pinna or auricle. The pinna is the visible portion of your ear. As sound hits the pinna, it filters and amplifies sound waves, and chutes them along into the ear canal (Burry, 2021).
Next…
Sound waves hit the eardrum, or tympanic membrane, setting it in motion. The eardrum is a paper-thin layer of a membrane that essentially vibrates as soon as sound waves hit, it very similar to a drum.
Step 2: Sound moves through the middle ear
Behind the eardrum is the middle ear. The eardrum is attached to a chain of three small bones, known as the ossicles. These three bones are the smallest ones in your body. When the eardrum vibrates in response to sound waves, these bones are set into motion as well. The bone directly attached to the eardrum is the malleus “the hammer”, which is connected at its other end to the incus “the anvil”. The incus, in turn, is attached to the stapes the “stirrup” that’s connected to the oval window, which is a membrane separating the middle ear from the inner ear. The shapes of the ossicles provide inspiration for their nicknames.
Step 3: Sound moves through the inner ear (the cochlea)
But… remembering…
Sound waves travel along the auditory canal and strike the tympanic membrane, causing it to vibrate. This vibration results in movement of the three ossicles (malleus, incus, stapes). As the ossicles move, the stapes presses into a thin membrane of the cochlea known as the oval window. The fluid inside the cochlea begins to move, that contains the organ of Corti, where these vibrations are finally transformed into electrical energy by cells known as hair cells inside of cochlea (stereocilia). These hair cells move with sound vibrations and change that movement into electrical impulses. These impulses are carried along the cochlear nerve into the brain and eventually arrive at the auditory cortex.
Hair cells play a vital role in your hearing. They’re also quite fragile: Loud sounds can damage or even destroy them, and once they’re destroyed, they can’t be repaired and you’ll feel the effects of noise-induced hearing loss. Blasting hair cells with noise is akin to trees in a hurricane, struggling to remain standing.
You’re born with about 16,000 of these hair cells, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These hair cells translate the vibrations from sound waves into electrical impulses that then travel along a complex pathway of nerve fibers to the brain.
Step 4: Your brain interprets the signal
The activation of hair cells is a mechanical process: the stimulation of the hair cell ultimately leads to activation of the cell. As hair cells become activated, they generate neural impulses that travel along the auditory nerve to the brain. Auditory information is shuttled to the inferior colliculus, the medial geniculate nucleus of the thalamus (if you want to know more about the thalamus,click here in these other article), and finally to the auditory cortex in the temporal lobe of the brain for processing.
Like the visual system, there is also evidence suggesting that information about auditory recognition and localization is processed in parallel streams (University D. , 2020). The auditory pathways process and decode sounds, turning them into something meaningful, like a question, a honking horn, or music.
Where is the auditory cortex?
The auditory cortex is found in the temporal lobe. Most of it is hidden from view, buried
deep within a fissure called the lateral sulcus. Some auditory cortex is visible on the external surface the brain, however, as it extends to a gyrus called the superior temporal gyrus.
The auditory cortex plays a critical role in our ability to perceive sound. It is thought to be integral to our perception of the fundamental aspects of an auditory stimulus, like the pitch of the sound. But it is also important in various other aspects of sound processing, like determining where in space a sound originates from as well as identifying what might be producing the sound.
The auditory cortex is also thought to be involved in higher-level auditory processing, such as recognizing aspects of sound that are specific to speech.
Damage to the auditory cortex can disrupt various facets of auditory perception. For example, damage might cause deficits in the ability to detect changes in pitch, localize sounds in space, or understand speech (Neuroscientifically, 2022).
The auditory cortex primarily receives auditory information from a nucleus in the thalamus called the medial geniculate nucleus, which is where all incoming information about hearing is sent before it is processed by the cerebral cortex.
The tonotopic arrangement of the primary auditory cortex is similar to what is seen in the cochlea, where sound processing begins. Thus, it can be said that the core of the auditory cortex contains a map of the cochlea, with each point in the cochlea corresponding to a strip of cells in the auditory cortex.
Classically, two main functional regions have been described in auditory cortex:
· Primary Auditory Cortex - composed of neurons involved in decoding the cochleotopic and tonotopic spatial representation of a stimulus.
· Secondary Auditory Cortex - which doesn't have cochlea tonotopic organisation but has an important role in sound localisation and analysis o complex sounds: in particular for specific animal vocalisations and human language. It also has a role in auditory memory.
· The belt region - surrounding primary auditory cortex and secondary auditory cortex, which helps to integrate hearing with other sensory systems.
Animal vocalisations and human language vary greatly between individuals. Voluntary and involuntary variations also exist within the same subject. Although the perception of auditory messages requires analysis of the frequencies that make up a complex sound, spectral analysis is even more important. If the sound spectrum containing the entire soundwave profile of a complex sound (the sound envelope) is maintained, good hearing and phoneme comprehension can occur, even when certain specific frequencies are removed (Gil-Loyzaga, 2016).
Why the music is used as therapy?
Music therapy is the clinical use of music to accomplish individualized goals such as reducing stress, improving mood and self-expression. It is an evidence-based therapy well-established in the health community. Music therapy experiences may include listening, singing, playing instruments, or composing music. Musical skills or talents are not required to participate (professional, 2020).
Music therapy may help you psychologically, emotionally, physically, spiritually, cognitively and socially. A short list of benefits includes:
· Lowering blood pressure.
· Improving memory.
· Enhanced communication and social skills through experiencing music with others.
· Self-reflection. Observing your thoughts and emotions.
· Reducing muscle tension.
· Self-regulation. Developing healthy coping skills to manage your thoughts and emotions.
· Increasing motivation.
· Managing pain.
· Increasing joy.
· Behavior disorders.
· Mood and anxiety disorders.
· Attention deficit/Hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
· Autism spectrum disorders (ASD).
· Trauma.
· Substance abuse disorders.
· PROCEDURE DETAILS
· Emotional well-being.
· Physical health.
· Physiological responses.
· Perceptual/motor skills.
· Social functioning.
· Communication abilities.
· Cognitive (mental and intellectual) skills.
· Musical background and skills.
· Trauma history.
· Trauma triggers.
I hope that you have undestand "the power" of music in our society...
even being a fiction, it show us a science deep that can to help much peoples mainly the youth community.
thank guy S2...
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References:
Abramovich, L. (01 de june de 2022). Fonte: Fiction Horizon: https://fictionhorizon.com/stranger-things-shawn-levy-wants-ryan-reynolds-to-appear-in-season-5/
Blood, A. J., & Zatorre, R. J. (2001). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 98 (20): 11818–11823. Fonte: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC58814/
Borich, M. e. (2015). Understanding the role of the primary somatosensory cortex: Opportunities for rehabilitation. Neuropsychologia.
Burry, M. (14 de September de 2021). Healthy Hearing. Fonte: https://www.healthyhearing.com/report/53241-How-we-hear-explainer-hearing
Collins, F. S., Fleming, R., Rutter, D., Iyengar, S., Tottenham, N., Patel, A. D., . . . Holochwost, S. J.-0.-2. (s.d.). Neuron. 97 (6): 1214–1218. Fonte: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6688399/
context Koelsch, S. (2018). Investigating the neural encoding of emotion with music. Neuron.
experiences Hermans, E. e. (2014). , How the amygdala affects emotional memory by altering brain network properties. Neurobiol Learn Mem.
Florida, T. M. (s.d.). PEGASUS. Fonte: https://www.ucf.edu/pegasus/your-brain-on-music/
Gil-Loyzaga, P. (12 de september de 2016). Fonte: Journey into the world of hearing: http://www.cochlea.eu/en/auditory-brain/thalamo-cortex/auditory-cortex-physiology
Herholz, S. C. (2012). , Musical Training as a Framework for Brain Plasticity: Behavior, Function, and Structure. Neuron.
Huff, T. N. (2021). Neuroanatomy, Visual Cortex, in StatPearls. 2021, StatPearls Publishing.
instruments Olszewska, A. e. (2017). , How Musical Training Shapes the Adult Brain: Predispositions and Neuroplasticity. Frontiers in Neuroscince.
Li, G. e. (2015). Identifying enhanced cortico-basal ganglia loops associated with prolonged dance training. Scientific Reports.
Moreno, S. ( 2009.). Can Music Influence Language and Cognition? Contemporary Music Review,.
Münte, T. E. (2002). The musician’s brain as a model of neuroplasticity. Nat Rev Neurosci.
music, j. (19 de September de 2021). Fonte: https://www.jbmusictherapy.com/how-the-brain-processes-music/
Nelken, I. (2011). Music and the Auditory Brain: Where is the Connection? Frontiers in human neuroscience.
Neuroscientifically. (2022). Fonte: https://neuroscientificallychallenged.com/posts/know-your-brain-auditory-cortex
Nozaradan, S. e. (2017). Specific contributions of basal ganglia and cerebellum to the neural tracking of rhythm. Cortex.
professional, C. C. (24 de November de 2020). Fonte: Cleveland Clinic : https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/8817-music-therapy#:~:text=Music%20therapy%20can%20help%20decrease,awareness%20and%20strengthen%20coping%20skills.
Schlaug, G. e. (1995). Increased corpus callosum size in musicians. Neuropsychologia.
Service, N. P. (03 de July de 2018). Fonte: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/sound/understandingsound.htm#:~:text=Frequency%2C%20sometimes%20referred%20to%20as,sound%20pressure%20wave%20repeats%20itself.
Steele, C. e. (2013). Early Musical Training and White-Matter Plasticity in the Corpus Callosum: Evidence for a Sensitive Period. The Journal of Neuroscience.
Therapy, J. M. (19 de September de 2021). Fonte: jb music therapy: https://www.jbmusictherapy.com/music-is-hormonious/
University, A. (2022). Fonte: https://www.augusta.edu/mcg/discovery/bbdi/neuroscience-of-hearing/6-12.php#
University, D. (2020). Fonte: https://digitaleditions.library.dal.ca/intropsychneuro/chapter/the-other-senses/
University, T. J. (2022). The Johns Hopkins Hospital, and Johns Hopkins Health System. Fonte: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/keep-your-brain-young-with-music#:~:text=If%20you%20want%20to%20keep,%2C%20mental%20alertness%2C%20and%20memory.
Yang, Y. a.-Z. (2017). Wang, From Structure to Behavior in Basolateral Amygdala-Hippocampus Circuits. Frontiers in Neural Circuits.
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