Music Therapy Today, Vol. 7, No. 1

Music Therapy Today a quarterly journal of studies in music and music therapy from the Chair of Qualitative Research in Medicine

Volume VII, Issue 1 (March 2006)

David Aldridge & Jรถrg Fachner (eds.)

Chair of Qualitative Research in Medicine Published by MusicTherapyWorld.net UniversityWitten/Herdecke Witten, Germany ISSN 1610-191X

Editor in Chief/Publisher Prof. Dr. phil. David Aldridge Managing Editor Dr. Jörg Fachner, joergf@uni-wh.de Translation and editorial assistance Christina Wagner, cwagner@uni-wh.de Book review editor and dissertations archive Annemiek Vink, a.c.vink@capitolonline.nl “Odds and Ends, Themes and Trends” Tom Doch, t.doch@t-online.de International contacts Dr. Petra Kern, PETRAKERN@prodigy.net Scientific Advisory Board Prof. Dr. Jaakko Erkkilä, University of Jyväskylä, Finland Dr. Hanne Mette Ridder, University of Aalborg, Denmark Dr. Gudrun Aldridge, University Witten/Herdecke, Germany Marcos Vidret, University of Buenos Aires, Argentinia Dr. Cochavit Elefant, Bar-Ilan University, Israel Prof. Dr. Cheryl Dileo. Temple University in Philadelphia, USA Prof. Dr. Marlene Dobkin de Rios, University of California, Irvine, USA Dr. Alenka Barber-Kersovan University of Hamburg, Germany Prof. Dr. Tia DeNora, University of Exeter, UK Dr. Patricia L. Sabbatella, University of Cadiz, Spain

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Table of contents

Music Therapy Today i Table of contents vii Editorial 1 Aldridge, D. & Fachner, J. 1 Effects of music therapy and counselling: A case of state anxiety of a Ca – Hypo Pharynx patient 8 Sundar, Sumathy 8 Ethics in music therapy: the role of the patient 30 Padula, Alessandra 30 The revival of Traditional Oriental Music Therapy discussed by cross cultural reflections and a pilot scheme of a quantitative EEGanalysis for patients in Minimally Responsive State. 39 Gerhard K. Tucek, Monika Murg2, Ann Mary Auer-Pekarsky', Walter Oder1 Robert Stepansky, 39 Performative Health – a commentary on Traditional Oriental Music Therapy 65 David Aldridge 65 Music, perception and altered states of consciousness 70 Aldridge, D., Fachner, J. and Schmid, W. 70 Maintaining dialogue - active music therapy for people living with Multiple Sclerosis 77 Schmid, Wolfgang 77 Connecting and learning through music: music therapy for young children with visual impairments and their families/ 99 vii

Kern, Petra 99 Therapeutical usefulness of music 106 Sundar, S. 106 Sumathy Sundar 106 T V Sairam 114 Ryo Takahashi 119 Book review: Silke Jochims (Ed.): Musiktherapie in der Neurorehabilitation (music therapy in neurological rehabilitation) 153 Schmid, W. 153 Odds and ends - themes and trends 157 Tom Doch 157

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Music Therapy Today Vol. VII (1) (March) 2006

Editorial Aldridge, D. & Fachner, J. Welcome to the new issue of Music Therapy Today, Vol. VII, Issue 1 (March)!

Some comments on the magazine Some music therapists publish their research in medical peer-reviewed journals. This has been an important and necessary step for music therapy to become an established or potential treatment intervention in the medical field. It also means that music therapy research has had to align with, and to fit into, the paradigms of the medical journals. Music therapists have to fit their research practice into the orthodoxy of medical thinking and the medical discourse, as represented by the journals, is not always coherent with that of music therapy. Indeed, within music therapy we have no single homogenous perspective but a lively pluralistic mix of understandings Peer review is an important issue because it helps music therapy to be better established by creating and reflecting our own guidelines of good music therapy research and practice. To this end, we are peer-reviewing some of the articles for this magazine. However, the peer-review process,

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Aldridge, D. & Fachner, J. (2006) Editorial. Music Therapy Today (Online) Vol.VII (1), (March), 1-7. available at http:// musictherapyworld.net Some comments on the magazine

even in medical journals, is not without its’ critics. Peer reviewers can be biased too. My original intention with “Music Therapy Today” was, and still is, to provide a lively forum for people writing about music, music therapy and the creative arts. One of the problems that we have is that there are a lot of practitioners who are not writing up their work. Sometimes they submit material but it is not accepted by established journals.

This is not a critic of the journals, they have to maintain high writing standards and only have a limited number of pages. In a magazine – journal – like “Music Therapy Today” people have a chance to write and be published, even when English may not be their first language, and we can also include a range of speculative material rather like thinking aloud.

While I am commenting on the journal, I would like to remind readers that the journal is intended as one part of a broader concept. The project comprises the design and extension of an online portal for music therapy research and our objectives are to collect, provide, develop, evaluate and implement systematically information and communication opportunities for arts therapy research, teaching and practice. A long-term objective for musictherapworld.net has been to create a global network of activities taking place in the world of music therapy and also to provide a free information platform with database, research archive and online magazine.

A central feature of our strategy is to present material in a way compatible to the medium Internet. We know that teachers and students use our database as a learning resource. What we are concentrating on over the coming months is the use of audio and video based resources that bring text, images, sound and film together (see also http://web.mac.com/ davidaldridge1).

Editorial

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Aldridge, D. & Fachner, J. (2006) Editorial. Music Therapy Today (Online) Vol.VII (1), (March), 1-7. available at http:// musictherapyworld.net Journal articles

If readers have recordings of lectures that are they regard as important to share then let us know and we can include them in our magazine. You will see below how Petra Kern has sent us an interview for publication.

Lutz Neugebauer and David Aldridge have started a new practice and research centre in Witten and readers can see from our homepage how these ideas concerning the use of websites and information can be reflected in practice http://web.mac.com/nordoff_robbins.

Journal articles Our first article in this issue is a peer-reviewed article on ‘Effects of music therapy and counselling: A case of state anxiety of a Ca – Hypo Pharynx patient’ from Sumathy Sundar from India. This paper is a case study about receptive music therapy combined with comprehensive counselling and providing health information as a cognitive behavioural intervention to address psychological distress and situational anxiety.

Anxiety and distress are common problems with cancer patients in a hospital environment. For a controlled study of music therapy as an intervention in mood disturbance then we would refer readers to Cassileth, B. R., Vickers, A. J., & Magill, L. A. (2003). Music therapy for mood disturbance during hospitalization for autologous stem cell transplantation: a randomized controlled trial. Cancer, 98(12), 2723-29.

Alessandra Padula is an Italian musician and music therapist. She has sent us her article on ‘Ethics in music therapy: the role of the patient.’

This paper reflects her thoughts based on ideas from Erich Fromm, Carl Gustav Jung. She discusses the process of adaptation made by patient and therapist during the course of music therapy.

Editorial

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Aldridge, D. & Fachner, J. (2006) Editorial. Music Therapy Today (Online) Vol.VII (1), (March), 1-7. available at http:// musictherapyworld.net Journal articles

Another study based on clinic work comes from Gerhard K. Tucek, Monika Murg, Ann Mary Auer-Pekarsky, Walter Oder and Robert Stepansky.

This paper is based on a presentation back in 2002 held at Istanbul University. ‘The revival of Traditional Oriental Music Therapy discussed by cross cultural reflections and a pilot scheme of a quantitative EEG-analysis for patients in Minimally Responsive State.’ Gerhard Tucek, who is the Head of the Traditional Oriental Music Therapy (TOMT) course in Rosenau, Austria, discusses the problems of transforming an old music therapy approach, which has been ‘forgotten’ since about 150 years on the background of a changing paradigm of medical aetiology. In the early years of the 19th century the scientific view of the medical science (Humoral pathology) has changed to a more mechanistic approach and as a result of the medical paradigm shift this foremost medical music therapy approach became outdated. In contrast the religious and musical traditions where TOMT has been derived from did not change that much up to now. The question is how to transform and respect medical, religious and artistic traditions?

The problems, that might arise, when respecting only the religious and musical tradition without adapting the daily practice of the therapeutic approach into the modern medical settings are discussed by David Aldridge in Performative Health – a commentary to Traditional Oriental Music Therapy. There is a tendency to talk of Sufi Music as if such an entity existed. While this may be so in commercial terms, the reality is that there is music that Sufi’s use according to the people, the place and the time. That is, music, when used in a ritual sense, as a means of changing consciousness, or as a tool in the process of healing is context dependent, as is the concept of health and illness. The music and dances used by the Sufi Rumi was developed for his students at a particular time and Editorial

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Aldridge, D. & Fachner, J. (2006) Editorial. Music Therapy Today (Online) Vol.VII (1), (March), 1-7. available at http:// musictherapyworld.net A seminar series

place and purpose. As music therapists know, we all need a particular healing repertoire but that must be related to the cultural context of the people taking part and the culture in which it is embedded. Indeed, the participants are composing the culture.

A seminar series In the article ‘Music, perception and altered states of consciousness’ David Aldridge, Jörg Fachner and Wolfgang Schmid present some thoughts that are guiding a lecture series at the Chair of Qualitative Research in Medicine and the Institute of Music Therapy of University Witten/Herdecke. “This seminar series will illustrate through a number of varying presentations how music researchers and therapists are working in varying settings where consciousness is changed. Our academic studies have relevance in daily practice, as they also arise from that daily practice, thus completing the circle of the reflective practitioner in the community of inquiry.“ ‘Maintaining dialogue - active music therapy for people living with Multiple Sclerosis’ from Wolfgang Schmid has been published in the EMTC conference proceedings before. In this publication we are providing the primary data of analysis the audio and video examples he used for his presentation in Finland 2004. The research method he uses is Therapeutic Narrative Analysis that can be found in Vol. III, Issue 5 (November 2002) of this journal and in Aldridge, D. (2005). Case study designs in music therapy. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. As we have read earlier, we are using multi-media integrating audio and video into a research paper. This is an advantage of an online journal for music therapy. We are able to contextualise the primary data into a written and readable text.

Editorial

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Aldridge, D. & Fachner, J. (2006) Editorial. Music Therapy Today (Online) Vol.VII (1), (March), 1-7. available at http:// musictherapyworld.net Conference proceedings and compilations

Petra Kern demonstrates this possibility further by sending us another audio interview. As podcasting has become a new platform of scientific presentation we are happy to give you the opportunity to listen to ‘Connecting and learning through music: music therapy for young children with visual impairments and their families / An Interview with Prof. Dr. Peggy Codding, Berklee College of Music’. We invite colleagues to submit recorded material, as well as written texts as these all provide a primary resource of material for research and teaching.

Conference proceedings and compilations For all those that are interested in holistic traditions of healing India has been some kind of major source for referral. But as we live and suffer with diseases in the 21-century the discussion about useful traditions of healing, of cultural heritage and religious medical practice in hospital settings has to be continued. We are proud to present the Conference proceedings of the 1st International Conference, 15. January 2006, Nada Centre for Music Therapy, Chennai, India. The main theme of the conference was ‘Therapeutical usefulness of music’. Sumathy Sundar has edited the proceedings for Music Therapy Today.

In the previous issue, we presented the conference proceedings of the EMTC conference in Finland. Now we have collected the complete „Music Therapy Today“ Volume VI of 2005. About 1900 pages of material relevant to music therapy! You can download it here (PDF 10 MB)

Editorial

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Aldridge, D. & Fachner, J. (2006) Editorial. Music Therapy Today (Online) Vol.VII (1), (March), 1-7. available at http:// musictherapyworld.net Book Review and Odds and Ends

Book Review and Odds and Ends Wolfgang Schmid has written a book review: on Silke Jochims’ book (Ed.): Musiktherapie in der Neurorehabilitation (music therapy in neurological rehabilitation) Tom Doch takes you on his journey into odds and ends, themes and trends in Neuromusic research, funny experiments and recent findings in the world of science.

Until we read again

David Aldridge and Joerg Fachner

Editorial

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Music Therapy Today Vol. VII, (1) March 2006

Effects of music therapy and counselling: A case of state anxiety of a Ca – Hypo Pharynx patient Sundar, Sumathy

Abstract: This paper is about a single case study of a Squamous Cell Carcinoma – Hypopharynx patient, to find out if receptive music therapy could be combined with comprehensive counseling and providing health information as a cognitive behavioral intervention to address psychological distress and situational anxiety, which are common problems with cancer patients in a hospital environment. Baseline data was collected from the patient using Spielberger’s StateTrait Anxiety Inventory. Assessments were done for situational anxiety before, during and after the music and counseling interventions. Pre- and Post-test composite anxiety scores were compared, which indicated the efficacy of the treatment. Though the primary endpoint of the study was state anxiety, the unique experiences of listening to music, which could be explained only by the patient listening to music and the self report made by the patient when analysed reflected the spiritual dimensions of the music therapy sessions

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Sundar, S. (2006) Effects of music therapy and counselling: a case of state anxiety of a ca – hypo pharynx patient. Music Therapy Today (online) Vol. VII (1) 8-29. available at http://www.MusicTherapyWorld.net

Keywords: Head & Neck Cancer, Carcinoma – Hypopharynx, music therapy, educative and informative counseling, health information on cancer, state anxiety, cognitive behavioral intervention

Background: THE CULTURAL AND TRADITIONAL CONTEXT FOR MUSIC THERAPY IN INDIA

Music Therapy is just an emerging discipline in India that warrants more research in this area to make it evidence based. The existence of Music Therapy as a belief system and the integrated approach in treatment of diseases advocated by medical professionals in the clinical arena has made them turn favourably towards Music as a promising therapy. The potentials of the ancient healing roots of Indian Music like Nada Yoga, Vedic chanting and Ragachikitcha have been recognized by various medical professionals, psychologists and musicologists and music therapists, making them engage in more and more of experimental studies which might strengthen and vouch for the efficacy of Indian music and to make music therapy an evidence based practice (Sumathy & Sairam, 2005).

Indian music is predominantly melodic in nature and the unique Raga system, born of the various combinations and permutations of notes with the existence of microtones and different embellishments, produces sweet and soft impressions in the minds of listeners. They gratify the soul of the listeners and not just the senses. The Ragas create a consoling and transcending attitude of the mind, elevate the listener to an ethereal plane and purify the knots of the mind.

Since the ancient times, Indian music had a very clear differentiation in the different forms of music in use and had recognized the different aspects of music and the ways of expressing with the specific tone and rhythm to bring the desired equilibrium or desired emotions. The music

Background:

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Sundar, S. (2006) Effects of music therapy and counselling: a case of state anxiety of a ca – hypo pharynx patient. Music Therapy Today (online) Vol. VII (1) 8-29. available at http://www.MusicTherapyWorld.net

of the peasants was different from that of the intellectuals. The music of the stage was different from that of the temple and the music for entertainment was different. This suits the therapeutic application of different kinds of music to cater to the preferences of the clients in the clinical settings (Sumathy & Sairam 2005).

Devotional music or Bhakti music is a vast repertoire in India which serves to convey traditional values and it pervades every part of the society, spreading devotion to God. It is an integral part of Hindu religion, culture and life. Traditionally, devotional music in South India has emerged out of religion, centered in and around the temple and with worship. Although social strata, in general are maintained within the society, listening to and singing devotional music and congregational worship is one area where persons from diverse social groups join together (Simon, R Leopold. 1984).

CONTEXT FOR MUSIC THERAPY IN ONCOLOGY SETTINGS

Cancer patients experience a wide range of stressors during the stages from diagnosis to treatment. Cancer not only presents physical challenges but also number of emotional and social needs during the illness, which necessitates integrated care addressing the psychological distress that the patients experience. With special reference to Head & Neck Cancer (HNC) patients, the disfigurement and dysfunction aspects account for the psychosocial consequences to this group. The treatments offered to HNC patients such as surgical resection, local radiotherapy or the presence of a specific device could also contribute to disturbances in the physical, social and psychological domains. Psychological problems as a consequence of the time taken for diagnosis and treatment due to involvement of various diagnostic procedures is common in HNC (Amir, Z. et al. 1999). Anxiety is a common symptom experienced by cancer patients which is mainly situational, in relation to stressful painful surgi-

Background:

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Sundar, S. (2006) Effects of music therapy and counselling: a case of state anxiety of a ca – hypo pharynx patient. Music Therapy Today (online) Vol. VII (1) 8-29. available at http://www.MusicTherapyWorld.net

cal procedures and treatments such as radio or chemo therapy (Chaturvedi, K Santosh & Chandra S. Prabha 1998).

In this context, there is a growing body of literature regarding music therapy experiments that have been researched and documented in oncology settings in the West. A psycho immunology study identified significant changes in salivary immunoglobulin A for oncology patients as a function of music therapy (Lane 1991). Music therapy is used to promote relaxation, to reduce anxiety, to supplement other pain control methods and to enhance communication between patient and family (Bailey 1983; Bailey 1984). Bailey also discovered a significant improvement in mood when playing live music to cancer patients as opposed to playing taped music, which she attributes to the human element being involved. In addition to reducing pain, music as relaxation and distraction has been tried during chemotherapy to bring overall relief (Kerkvliet 1990) and listening to preferred music during a single chemotherapy treatment reduced nausea and vomiting (Frank 1985). Focus of attention to music can forestall or blunt the perception of pain (Standley 1986). From the initial diagnosis throughout the course of the disease, treatment and rehabilitation to the cure or end of life, music therapy is a service that addresses both the medical and psychosocial needs of the patient; It meets common psychological objectives in oncology like fear, anxiety, stress or grief and music therapists facilitate health objectives by reducing intensity or duration of pain, alleviating anxiety and decreasing the amount of analgesic medication needed (Standley & Hanser 1995). Pain and anxiety provoked by noxious medical procedures experienced frequently by cancer patients may be controlled by cognitive behavioral interventions such as music or distraction (Kwekkeboom 2003).

MUSIC THERAPY AND COUNSELING

Also there are studies which have been documented that counseling techniques are often paired with music to achieve emotional objectives such Background:

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Sundar, S. (2006) Effects of music therapy and counselling: a case of state anxiety of a ca – hypo pharynx patient. Music Therapy Today (online) Vol. VII (1) 8-29. available at http://www.MusicTherapyWorld.net

as expression, adjustment, stability or locus of control; that music and assessment abilities could be combined with counseling, therapeutic and teaching skills to facilitate specific health or rehabilitative objectives (Standley & Hanser 1995). Use of music activities and counseling for 8 weeks reduced anxiety in adult and terminally ill patients (Gross & Schwartz 1992) Music therapy combined with social work techniques maximized counseling benefits with pediatric patients (Slivka & Magill 1986), psycho-behavioral interventions have shown to benefit meta static breast cancer patients and use of music therapy, a cognitive behavioral intervention using music strategies to cope with cancer related stressors basing on a transactional stress coping frame work with meta static breast cancer patients produced immediate benefits of enhanced relaxation and comfort (Hanser 2005) Music Therapy could be combined with psychological counseling to achieve desired therapeutic goals in clinical settings (Sairam & Sumathy, 2005).

Together, these studies demonstrate the author’s initial understanding of the positive outcomes of combining music therapy and counseling techniques in a mixed group of patients with varying diagnoses, treatment regimens, and stages of disease. All provided some evidence to support that music therapy and counseling maximized benefits.

In this background, the author found out in her working experience in an oncology setting that almost all the patients who were not formally educated and who had a lower socio economic background, diagnosed with cancer did not have the knowledge about the complexities of the disease and its treatment. When suddenly exposed to the illness, they had great difficulty in coping with the stressful situation. The patient centered music therapy sessions encompassing trusting and caring relationship with the music therapist necessitated the author to clear all the apprehensions regarding the treatment side effects besides giving health informaBackground:

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Sundar, S. (2006) Effects of music therapy and counselling: a case of state anxiety of a ca – hypo pharynx patient. Music Therapy Today (online) Vol. VII (1) 8-29. available at http://www.MusicTherapyWorld.net

tion and comprehensive counseling regarding the disease, the procedures, the side effects, to cope with the side effects and also on the adherence to the treatment regimen. When the patients were adequately informed about the disease, their coping became easier and they were more receptive to music therapy sessions and the situational anxiety that was commonly expected with the patients was immediately alleviated. Also, the role of psychological counseling (educative and informative counseling) the patients became of paramount importance to the author to avoid misconceptions and irrational fear about the disease and providing emotional support to address the psychological needs, in addition to the music therapy techniques.

The author, in order to formalize these clinical stories, undertook to experimenting on this in a more objective manner by systematically documenting the findings and resorted to a case study design, which is a common feature of staying close to the practice of the clinician (Aldridge, 2002) to involve the patient in the process to make her also reflect what is going on (Aldridge, 2003).

The Case study PATIENT DATA

The patient from the Cancer Institute in Chennai, India is a female, 36 years old, married, had studied up to Vth Division and was not employed, had a lower socio economic status and a rural background. In clinical examination, a squamous cell carcinoma (Hypo Pharynx), was diagnosed and was found in post Cricoid’s region (Grade I-II; NG – Intermediate) and the tumor measured 4 x 2.5cm x 2.5cm. The goiter was involving both lobes. The following investigations (check the glossary below) were done when she entered the music therapy treatment: Hematology & Urine, Radiology Chest (PA) View, ECG, OGD Biopsy, Brushings from

The Case study

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Sundar, S. (2006) Effects of music therapy and counselling: a case of state anxiety of a ca – hypo pharynx patient. Music Therapy Today (online) Vol. VII (1) 8-29. available at http://www.MusicTherapyWorld.net

Cricopharynx, FNAC (L) Lobe of Thyroid, DLDP Esophagospy, Barium Swallow, CT Scan Neck, Rigidoscopy Biopsy, PFT. Her former treatments included a jejunostomy, which is a surgery in which the jejunum is brought outside of the abdominal wall by creation of an opening between the jejunum and the anterior abdominal wall which will allow artificial feeding. She also received a laryngo pharyngo esophagectomy with gastric pull up along with post radiation treatment.

Physical symptoms were reported as difficulty in swallowing, progressive dysphagia, she had an edema in the neck, weight loss was reported, as well as choking sensation on taking food, severe pain on swallowing and pain radiating to the ear. Behavioral symptoms included crying spells, poor sleep patterns, a craving for normal oral feed and restlessness. Affective symptoms were reported as excessive fear, the client reported feelings of anxiousness, isolation, worthlessness and described herself as being hopeless. She had worrying thoughts about dying, reported difficulty when trying to concentrate, had intrusive thoughts and was catastrophising about her state of illness. In her interpersonal relations she felt totally withdrawn from others and felt socially inferior.

AIMS

Aims and objectives of our music therapy treatment therefore was focusing on the following aspects: To bring down the level of state anxiety of the client by eliciting relaxation responses by music sessions as a behavioral intervention • To help the client to have a better personal control of the disease and its treatment by counseling • To educate the client on the disease and the treatment she had to undergo by giving health information.

• To give emotional support to the patient •

The Case study

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Sundar, S. (2006) Effects of music therapy and counselling: a case of state anxiety of a ca – hypo pharynx patient. Music Therapy Today (online) Vol. VII (1) 8-29. available at http://www.MusicTherapyWorld.net

TREATMENT SCHEDULE, PSYCHOMETRIC MEASURES AND THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTIONS

The author recorded the patient variables including age, gender, ethnic heritage, education, income, type of cancer, the symptoms, and the procedures to be performed and previous procedures. A listening pattern schedule developed by the author consisted of instructions and 20 questions on the following factors: musical training, musical preferences, duration of listening to music, time of listening to music, pattern of listening, preferred mood to music and general responses to preferred music. The musical selections made for use in the intervention were based on the patient’s musical preferences, treatment goals and approach (Sumathy, 2006).

SPIELBERGER STATE TRAIT ANXIETY INVENTORY (STAI)

Anxiety was assessed at the base line with the STAI (Spielberger, 1999).

The STAI was completed immediately after the diagnosis, during surgical procedures, before surgery, after surgery, before radiation treatment, during radiation treatment and after the radiation treatment. The STAI state portion measures feelings of apprehension, tension, nervousness and worry. Scores increase in response to physical danger and psychological stress. The scale consists of 20 statements that evaluate how the patients feel “right now” with scores ranging from 20 to 80 rated on a 1 (not at all to) 4 (very much). The scale has been documented to be reliable and valid and has been extensively used with cancer patients and music therapy studies. Self-Report by the patient was also recorded every day of how the patient felt after the music therapy and counseling sessions.

The Case study

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Sundar, S. (2006) Effects of music therapy and counselling: a case of state anxiety of a ca – hypo pharynx patient. Music Therapy Today (online) Vol. VII (1) 8-29. available at http://www.MusicTherapyWorld.net

The Tamil language version of the listening pattern schedule and the STAI were read out loud to the patient and the responses recorded by the author.

TABLE 1. Timeline of Interventions Different stages of Intervention

Schedule of music listening and counselling sessions (on the same visit)

After the diagnosis

1st visit (on the day of the diagnosis)

During surgical procedures

2nd visit (when the surgical procedures were going on)

Before the surgery

3rd visit (2 days before the surgery

After surgery

4th visit (one week after the surgery)

Before radiation treatment

5th visit (one week before the commencement of the radiation treatment)

During radiation treatment

6th visit (7th day of the radiation treatment

After the radiation treatment

7th visit (On the last day of the radiation treatment)

SELF-REPORTS AND DIARY

The patient’s husband wrote the daily self-report by the patient and kept a diary. The assessments were made during each stage before the music therapy and counseling sessions so as to know the effects of the previous sessions to rule out the possibility of temporary positive outcome immediately due to music and counseling sessions.

COUNSELING SESSIONS

The entire history of the patient from the case record - the diagnosis, the stage of the disease, the treatment planning of the doctors, the nature of the treatment that had been planned, the surgical procedures that she had to undergo before the surgery were comprehensively collected. The patient was very quick in developing a working relationship with the author and she was encouraged Catharsis for emotional ventilation at the outset.

The Case study

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Sundar, S. (2006) Effects of music therapy and counselling: a case of state anxiety of a ca – hypo pharynx patient. Music Therapy Today (online) Vol. VII (1) 8-29. available at http://www.MusicTherapyWorld.net

The subsequent session was to know the cognitive structure of the client, gathering information about her fears, the social support she has, her family background, the reason for her excessive fear and anxiety by informal interview.

The musicality and listening pattern of the patient to choose the right type of music for daily sessions to elicit relaxation responses were assessed.

During treatment planning, the author realized the need to provide information support about the disease, the diagnosis, the symptoms relating to her disease, about the further investigations that she had to undergo before the treatment, the time taken for the extensive investigations she had to undergo and the need for such investigations before the surgery etc. We discussed her faulty assumptions and negative thoughts about the disease, the treatment and the music and counseling intervention was to focus on changing the cognition to produce desired change in the behavior and cognition. The sessions were also designed to make her understand and accept reality about her losing her voice, significance of the surgery and to help her to cope with the treatment and to provide emotional support.

The counseling sessions also targeted to alleviate anxiety level, to change the cognitive map of the patient before and after treatment, to help the client understand the reality of the situation and to help the client to gain confidence to face the future after the surgery Laryngo Pharyngo esophagectomy by counseling.

RECEPTIVE MUSIC THERAPY INTERVENTION

The subsequent sessions targeted to give music listening sessions, the songs chosen by the author. It was light devotional music of half hour duration, for five days a week during the entire period of her stay (about 2 months) in the hospital. The patient was administered with light devo-

The Case study

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Sundar, S. (2006) Effects of music therapy and counselling: a case of state anxiety of a ca – hypo pharynx patient. Music Therapy Today (online) Vol. VII (1) 8-29. available at http://www.MusicTherapyWorld.net

tional music recordings of the author through CD Walkman. The songs chosen were simple south Indian devotional songs of the modern times with easy-to-understand lyric and religious theme, devoid of any technical virtuosity, in medium tempo, having both melodic and literary beauty.

Here is one example: The song is in Raga Dwijavanthi, a hexatonic raga with frequent usage of special oscillations (Mudrita, Ullasita, Kampita).

Kampita is a type of oscillation or a shake. The manipulation of the note is such that there is not even the remotest suggestion of the adjacent notes (Sambamurthy, P 1998).

• Ullasita is a kind of a glide of notes, which is of two kinds. Upward glide and downward glide. This oscillation is obtained by starting on a note and reaching a higher or lower note as the case may be, by gliding over the intermediate notes without at the same time giving the impression of the individuality of these intermediate notes (Sambamurthy, P 1998).

• Mudrita is a kind of oscillation produced by closing the mouth and singing (Sambamurthy, P 1998).

•

The ascending notes in the raga are: s r m g m p d s The descending notes are

sndpmgrgrs

The MP3 excerpt in Dwijavanthi is a popular melody, a simple light devotional song in medium tempo with meaningful lyrics in Tamil language administered to the patient frequently on her request.

---Download an MP3 excerpt Dwijavanthi.mp3 (2,9 MB) --TRANSLATION OF THE SONG (BY THE AUTHOR):

One cannot get peace of mind Even by doing penance.

But being in your sanctum sanctorum Brings comfort and tranquility.

The Case study

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Sundar, S. (2006) Effects of music therapy and counselling: a case of state anxiety of a ca – hypo pharynx patient. Music Therapy Today (online) Vol. VII (1) 8-29. available at http://www.MusicTherapyWorld.net

The light of the month karthigai And the beauty of the cymbals In your sanctum sanctorum Where, the primordial sound ‘OM’ resonates all bring solace and peace of mind.

Your cymbals, the dancing peacock And the flag of the cock at the sanctum sanctorum, where all Your devotees visit everyday to pray to you Bring comfort and peace of mind

Results and discussion The primary goal of the treatment was to bring down the state anxiety of the patient by music sessions and counseling.

STATE AND TRAIT ANXIETY INVENTORY (STAI)

For analysis, the composite score in the STAI was taken to compare the levels of anxiety during different stages of assessments. During base line assessment, the patient’s’ level of trait anxiety was low (30), but her level of state anxiety was the highest (65) immediately after the diagnosis. At this stage, the cause of anxiety in the patient was multidimensional Diagnosis of cancer in Hypo Pharynx, the treatment by way of surgery by which she would lose her voice, the fear of the major surgery, the fact that she could not eat normally, various minor procedures she had to undertake before the surgery - etc.

After the music therapy and counseling sessions, the findings show that the anxiety level of the client had come down considerably (34) during the pre surgical procedural stage (see figure 1).

Results and discussion

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Sundar, S. (2006) Effects of music therapy and counselling: a case of state anxiety of a ca – hypo pharynx patient. Music Therapy Today (online) Vol. VII (1) 8-29. available at http://www.MusicTherapyWorld.net

FIGURE 1. STAI levels of anxiety in different stages

Levels of anxiety in different stages

70 60 50 40 ety scores 30

Scores obtained

20 10 0 After diagnosis

During surgical procedures

Before surgery

After surgery

Before Radiation treatment

During radiation treatment

After radiation treatment

Different stages of assessment

The time line of the interventions as tabled below show that the actual positive effect of music and counseling happened after surgery, which is reflected by the recording of the anxiety level. The anxiety level is reduced to a great extent in a stable manner, after the surgery, prior, during and after the radiation treatment sessions.

TABLE 2. STAI levels of anxiety in different stages of intervention Different stages of Intervention

Times of Intervention

Before the surgery

3rd visit (2 days before the surgery

STAI Anxiety scores 65

After surgery

4th visit (one week after the surgery)

63 34

Before Radiation treatment

5th visit (one week before the commencement of the radiation treatment)

Results and discussion

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Sundar, S. (2006) Effects of music therapy and counselling: a case of state anxiety of a ca – hypo pharynx patient. Music Therapy Today (online) Vol. VII (1) 8-29. available at http://www.MusicTherapyWorld.net

TABLE 2. STAI levels of anxiety in different stages of intervention During radiation treatment

6th visit (7th day of the radiation treatment

36 30

After the radiation treatment

7th visit (On the last day of the radiation treatment)

The patient was informed on the causes of the long time taken between the diagnosis and the treatment, combination of treatments like surgery and radiation, the ignorance and faulty beliefs about the disease alleviated anxiety. The scores just before the surgery was high (65), as she would lose her voice after the surgery and the anxiety levels arose in spite of the earlier music therapy and counseling sessions. Immediately after the surgery, the pain and the fact that she had lost her voice made her feel anxious to face the future.

The music sessions were welcoming relaxing sessions and the counseling sessions provided the patient with information and emotional support, trained for relaxation, brought about cognitive restructure by changing faulty beliefs and the irrational fear by educating the client with relevant information about the disease, the investigation procedures, the treatment modalities and the side effects of the treatment etc. Emotional crying spells and expressions of fear of death were absolutely controlled (see figure 2).

Results and discussion

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Sundar, S. (2006) Effects of music therapy and counselling: a case of state anxiety of a ca – hypo pharynx patient. Music Therapy Today (online) Vol. VII (1) 8-29. available at http://www.MusicTherapyWorld.net

FIGURE 2. Levels of emotional outbursts and fear of death

Levels of emotional outbursts and fear of death

Number of crying spells and expression of fear of death

30

25

20

Reihe1

15

10

5

0 1st week

SELF-REPORT

2nd week

3rd week

4th week 5th week Weekly Assessments

6th week

7th week

8th week

The self-report of the patient recorded by the author after the music therapy sessions revealed that the spiritual undercurrent of the songs gave strength and morale boost to her sore heart when her inner strength was failing. The songs elevated her spirits and brought solace and peace of mind after a prayer to God in the form of listening to the songs and that she believed that God would do good things to her. She would continue to listen to these songs every day.

FIGURE 3. Self report after the music sessions as recorded by the author and translated.

•

I look forward to the music sessions

Results and discussion

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Sundar, S. (2006) Effects of music therapy and counselling: a case of state anxiety of a ca – hypo pharynx patient. Music Therapy Today (online) Vol. VII (1) 8-29. available at http://www.MusicTherapyWorld.net

• • • • • • • • • • • • • •

•

By listening to these songs, I can feel a compassion for the sore heart and succour when inner strength is failing.

The spiritual undercurrent is a strength and a morale boost I strongly feel that God will resolve my issues.

It elevates my spirits to face my challenges everyday.

The lyric of the song gives a great solace to me.

The beat of the music lifts the heart The songs bring solace and peace of mind in a distressing mood It is like a prayer to me My mood is improved I am able to forget my worries.

I will sleep well today I feel good and relaxed. My mind is clear I don’t feel the pain I am happy to be away from the ward for these sessions and listen to soothing music, as the moaning sounds of the other patients disturb me.

I want to listen to these songs regularly to elevate my spirits whenever I am low.

The end of the intervention report given by the patient translated.

“Listening to music was a great solace and comfort to me when I was suffering. The informative and the educative sessions about the disease, the treatment sessions and the after effects of the treatment helped me to get rid of my fear and also gave me strength to face the life bravely and to accept things as they come.

The songs lifted my heart and I believe that God will save me and will take care of me. Good things will happen to me and I have faith in him. He will never turn me down.”

Conclusion This single case study of combining music therapy and educative and informative counseling techniques suggest maximum benefits in alleviating situational anxiety with cancer patients and would pave the way for more and more work to be undertaken in oncology settings to strengthen these formalized recordings. It is also an attempt to emphasize that the

Conclusion

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Sundar, S. (2006) Effects of music therapy and counselling: a case of state anxiety of a ca – hypo pharynx patient. Music Therapy Today (online) Vol. VII (1) 8-29. available at http://www.MusicTherapyWorld.net

caring and social dimensions warranted in the health care delivery system could be met with and be reinforced by Music Therapists when they combine counseling techniques in their therapeutic sessions. The more cultural and traditional Eastern music has a spiritual influence, which expresses one’s devotional feelings and may bring comfort, hopes and peace of mind to the listeners.

Glossary MEDICAL TERMS USED IN THE PAPER.

Barium Swallow: It is an x-ray test to examine the upper digestive tract (oesophagus, stomach and small intestine.

Carcinoma: Cancer of the epithelium, the tissue that lines the skin and internal organs of the body.

Catharsis: Clients are encouraged to let their emotions out freely during counseling process, so that their feelings are ventilated.

DLDP ESOPHAGOSPY: Examination of esophagus by a tube inserted into the mouth Dysphagia: A condition in which swallowing becomes difficult Edema: Swelling FNAC: Fine needle aspiration cytology in which a thin needle is used to withdraw fluid or cells from the tissue and examined for the presence of cysts or tumour HNC: Head and neck cancer Hypo Pharynx: Bottom portion of the throat

Glossary

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Sundar, S. (2006) Effects of music therapy and counselling: a case of state anxiety of a ca – hypo pharynx patient. Music Therapy Today (online) Vol. VII (1) 8-29. available at http://www.MusicTherapyWorld.net

Jejunum: Part of the small intestine between the duodenum and the ileum

Jejunostomy: A surgery in which the jejunum is brought outside of the abdominal wall by creation of an opening between the jejunum and the anterior abdominal wall which will allow artificial feeding Larynx: Voice Box or the organ responsible for the production of vocal sounds. It is also an air passage conveying air from the pharynx to the lungs.

Laryngo Pharyngo Esophagestomy with gastric pull: Surgery done in the treatment of extensive carcinoma of the hypo pharynx, larynx and cervical oesophagus.

Pulmonary function tests: Tests in assessing the functional status of the lungs as a part of pre operative evaluation OGD Biopsy: is a procedure that enables a gastro entrologist to visualize the esophagus, stomach and duodenum using a thin flexible tube that can be looked through or seen on a TV monitor and biopsy performed on the tumour Radiation treatment: This treatment uses large doses of high-energy beams or particles to destroy cancer cells in a specifically targeted area. (www.mdanderson.org) Radiology: The branch of medicine concerned with the use of radiation including X-rays State anxiety: Transitory emotional state of a person characterized by subjective consciously perceived feelings of tension and apprehension and heightened autonomic nervous system.

Glossary

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Sundar, S. (2006) Effects of music therapy and counselling: a case of state anxiety of a ca – hypo pharynx patient. Music Therapy Today (online) Vol. VII (1) 8-29. available at http://www.MusicTherapyWorld.net

Trait anxiety: Denotes relatively stable individual differences in anxiety proneness and refers to a general tendency to respond with anxiety to perceived threats in the environment.

References Aldridge, David (2002) Single case research design for the clinician. In: Aldridge, David (ed.) Research in Complementary Therapies: Papers revisited and continued. (pp. 93-101) E-Book on Aldridge, D. & Fachner, J. (eds.) Music Therapy Info – CD- Rom Vol. IV. Witten: University Witten/Herdecke.

Aldridge, D (2003) Staying close to practice: Which evidence, for whom, by whom. Music Therapy Today (online) Vol. IV, Issue 5, available at http://musictherapyworld.net Amir, Z., Kwan, S. Y., Landes, D., Feber, T. & Williams, S. A. (1999) Diagnostic delays in head and neck cancers. European Journal of Cancer Care 8, 4, 198-203.

Bailey, L.M. (1983) The effects of live music versus tape-recorded music on hospitalized cancer patients. Music Therapy 3, 1, 17-28.

Bailey, L.M. (1984) The use of songs with cancer patients and their families. Music Therapy 4, 1, 5-17.

Chaturvedi, K Santosh & Chandra, S Prabha (1998) Psychopharmacology in Oncology Practice. Psycho-oncology current issues. P 26. NIMHANS. Bangalore.

Frank, J. (1985) The effects of music therapy and guided visual imagery on chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting. Oncology Nursing Forum 12, 5, 47-52.

Gross J.L., Swartz R (1992) The effects of music therapy on anxiety in chronically ill patients. Music Therapy 2, 43-52.

Hanser, S. B. (2005) Effects of a Music Therapy Intervention for Women with Metastatic Breast Cancer. Oncology Nursing Forum. Volume 32.

No.1

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Sundar, S. (2006) Effects of music therapy and counselling: a case of state anxiety of a ca – hypo pharynx patient. Music Therapy Today (online) Vol. VII (1) 8-29. available at http://www.MusicTherapyWorld.net

Kerkvliet, G. J. (1990) Music Therapy may help control pain. Journal of the National Cancer Institute 82, 5, 350-2.

Kwekkeboom, Kristine L. (2003) Music versus Distraction for Procedural Pain and Anxiety in Patients with Cancer. Oncology Nursing Forum 30, 3, 433-40.

Lane, Deforia (1993) Music Therapy: Gaining an Edge in Oncology Management. The Journal of Oncology Management. January//February Sambamurthy, P. (1998) South Indian Music - Vol. IV. (12th edn).

Madras: The Indian Music Publishing House.

Simon, R Leopold. (1984) Spiritual aspects of Indian Music. New Delhi: Sundeep Prakashan.

Slivka H.H. & Magill L. (1986) The conjoint use of social work and music therapy in working with children of cancer patients. Music Therapy, 6, 30-40.

Spielberger, C. D. (1983) Manual for the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.

Standley J. M. (1986) Music research in medical/dental treatment: Metaanalysis and clinical applications. Journal of Music Therapy 23, 56-122.

Standley J M. & Hanser S.B. (1995) Music Therapy Research and Applications in Pediatric Oncology Treatment. Journal of Pediatric Oncology Nursing 12, 1 (January), 3-8.

Sumathy, Sundar (2004) Music Therapy: Gaining an edge in health care system. Shanmukha 30, 4 (Oct.–Dec.), 23-25.

Sumathy, Sundar & Sairam, T. V. (2005) Music Therapy Traditions in India. Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy. Retrieved from http:// www.voices.no/country/monthindia_march2005.html Sumathy, Sundar (2005) Can Traditional Healing Systems Integrate With Music Therapy? Sumathy Sundar interviews T. V. Sairam. Voices: A World Forum for Music therapy. Retrieved Aug. 12, 2005, from http:// www.voices.no/mainissues/mi40005000186.html Sairam, T. V. & Sumathy, Sundar (2004) Statistical analysis of the Survey on the perception of Indian Music as a Complementary Medicine. Souve-

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Sundar, S. (2006) Effects of music therapy and counselling: a case of state anxiety of a ca – hypo pharynx patient. Music Therapy Today (online) Vol. VII (1) 8-29. available at http://www.MusicTherapyWorld.net

nir First Annual Conference. Nada Centre for Music Therapy. Chennai, India Sundar, Sumathy (2006) Music Therapy in India: General Guidelines on Musical Preferences and Approaches for Musical Selections. In Sairam, T V. (Ed.) Music Therapy The Sacred and the Profane. (pp. 91-97) Chennai, India: Nada Centre for Music Therapy.

Author information Sumathy Sundar

MA (Indian Music), MA (Applied Psychology), Dip. In Counselling Psychology.

Ph.D. research scholar with University of Madras in Music Therapy.

President, Nada Centre for Music Therapy, Chennai, India ADDRESS

Nada Centre for Music Therapy, Plot No.11/25 Jothi Ramalingam Street, Madipakkam,

Author information

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Sundar, S. (2006) Effects of music therapy and counselling: a case of state anxiety of a ca – hypo pharynx patient. Music Therapy Today (online) Vol. VII (1) 8-29. available at http://www.MusicTherapyWorld.net

Chennai 600 091, India http://www.nada.in THIS ARTICLE CAN BE CITED AS:

Sundar, S. (2006) Effects of music therapy and counselling: a case of state anxiety of a ca – hypo pharynx patient. Music Therapy Today (online) Vol. VII (1) 8-29. available at http://www.MusicTherapyWorld.net Peer reviewed article - Received 22. May 2005 ; accepted in revised form 14. February 2006

Author information

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Music Therapy Today Vol. VII (1) (March) 2006

Ethics in music therapy: the role of the patient Padula, Alessandra

In order to outline the theme “ethics in music therapy: the role of the patient”, we need first of all to define the main terms.

In this paper “music therapy” means therapeutic or rehabilitation-aimed treatment which uses music and its components (melody, rhythm, vocal and instrumental performance, and so on) to stimulate the patient to heighten his perception, his ability to use speech/language, motorics, socialization and, last but not least, to open up to his unconscious self, so helping to resolve psychic conflicts through catharsis. 1 Thus using music therapy to cure psychic diseases can be considered a particular form of psychotherapy which makes use of music means and practice • to start an interaction between therapist and patient • as part of an individual or group therapy (Padula, 2005).

•

The term ethics means that part of philosophy that deals with human behaviour, especially the criteria which people use to decide how they 1. Editor’s note: The WFMT definition can be found at http://www.musictherapyworld.net/modules/wfmt/w_definition.htm

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Padula, A. (2006) Ethics in music therapy: the role of the patient. Music Therapy Today (Online) Vol.VII (1) 30-38. available at http://musictherapyworld.net

react and what choices to make; the word ethics comes from the Greek ĂŠthos, which means either behaviour or customs. Thus, ethics describes which behaviour is considered acceptable in certain societies; which values guide this behaviour, and which kind of social processes lead to the establishment of these values as behaviour models.

Thus, ethics can also be considered a doctrine of social dialogue, within which values and rules that individuals and groups have to respect in their behaviour emerge and disappear.

As Aristotle says in his Nicomachean Ethics, we have some duties to ourselves (e.g. self- preservation, deepening our cultural level, self-improvement) and some duties to the others (contributing to social life through our moral and economic actions).

When an individual, living in a society, chooses to comply with these duties, he initiates two processes which are both positive: the individual can enhance his own activity, and at the same time his social group can rise toward higher human goals (Aristotle, 1999).

So, it would be interesting to reflect upon ethics in music therapy, but focusing on the role and the work of the patient, rather than on the role and the work of the therapist.

Some works of C.G. Jung on this subject are important despite their brevity: Adaptation and Individuation and community (original titles: Anpassung and Individuation und Kollektivität, both dated October 1916), address Aristotle’s thought from a new point of view.

Whereas Aristotle defines ethics as complying with our duties towards both ourselves and society, Jung defines psychological adaptation as being an adaptation to inner as well as to external conditions. The adapta31

Padula, A. (2006) Ethics in music therapy: the role of the patient. Music Therapy Today (Online) Vol.VII (1) 30-38. available at http://musictherapyworld.net

tion to the inner world, called the individuation process, is achieved when the individual is aware of his own singular personality; the adaptation to the external world, called adaptation to the community process, is considered as an atonement offered to the community by the individual as expiation for expressing his own individuality vis-à-vis society (Jung, 1983).

Evidently, Jung (differently from Aristotle) considers the two processes as divergent although part of a dialectic, ever changing balance.

Especially innovative is the third point in Jung’s theory on adaptation, called adaptation to analytical therapy: this is a twofold adaptation, to the therapist and to the method which he uses: the patient has to trust in the therapist and place his confidence in the effectiveness of his methods and techniques (Jung, 1983).

As regards music therapy, the reaction to the therapy can be assessed by the degree of confidence in this specific form of psychotherapy, and in the therapist who uses it.

So, paraphrasing Jung’s words, we can say that “the therapy must be the main thing”: in order to have the best development, this adaptation must take place in the beginning of the therapy so that the patient becomes enthusiastic about it and places trust in the therapist (as Jung says) “to grasp the basic ideas of the method” (Jung, 1983: VII, 310).

Musical expression through movements which make sounds (hand clapping, feet stamping, finger snapping, and so on) and vocal and/or instrumental improvisations and performances correspond to the process of individuation. The types of sounds (number, pitch, volume, timbre, length, and so on) are very common, but each patient can combine and change them all, so creating a musical sequence which is at the same time 32

Padula, A. (2006) Ethics in music therapy: the role of the patient. Music Therapy Today (Online) Vol.VII (1) 30-38. available at http://musictherapyworld.net

self- expression and product, reflecting his condition at this stage of the therapy.

In The relationships between the Ego and the unconscious (original title: Die Beziehungen zwischen dem Ich und dem Unbewussten, 1928), Jung says that “the singularity of each individual comes from an unrepeatable combination of functions and faculties which are in themselves universal” (Jung, 1983: VII, 173).

Through his musical performance the patient can manifest his own individuality, i.e. his being different from other people.

Fromm too, in his The Sane Society emphasizes that “mental health is characterized by a sense of identity, based on the way in which the individual experiences himself, as the subject but also the applier of his own powers (Fromm, 1980: 72)” . He specifies that mental health is marked “by the capability to grasp either our inner reality or the external one” (Fromm, 1980: 74). In fact a person whose only reality is his own mental processes, sensations and needs is like a psychotic, unable to perceive the objective reality of the external world (Fromm, 1980).

Thus, the process of adaptation needs to work in the opposite direction.

This is called by Jung “adaptation to the community”.

This adaptation can be compared with musical communication, which occurs when

someone begins a sequence of instrumental, vocal or

sound-gestures which leads on to dialogue with two or more voices as part of a music therapy.

Indeed, in an individual therapy there are two possible communication partners, the therapist and the patient, whereas in a group therapy other subjects can take part in the musical communication (other patients, 33

Padula, A. (2006) Ethics in music therapy: the role of the patient. Music Therapy Today (Online) Vol.VII (1) 30-38. available at http://musictherapyworld.net

patients’ relatives and even strangers) so that the concept of community becomes much more significant.

In his The structure of unconscious (original title: Die Struktur des Unbewussten, 1916), Jung writes that the adaptation to the community is achieved through imitation, a process that creates a dependence on the environment and hinders the excesses of individualism.

In the musical dialogue the process of imitation is essential to build up a common sense of purpose; someone who imitates a musical sequence just performed by his communication partner, has evidently listened to it with care and openness. He is no longer concentrating on himself, but is waiting for his turn, striving to analyse the sequence, to learn it by heart and to perform it in the best way.

However, mere repetition will not help the dialogue to develop its potential: uniform repetition will soon cause tiredness and boredom, and that will lead the communication partners to break off the dialogue.

On the contrary, an appropriate musical response must be quite similar to the original sequence, so that it can be identified as part of a shared conversation, and at the same time it must be made quite different by introducing variations.

Little changes may concern, for instance, timbre differences between two voices, or between two instruments, changes of speed, changes in the use of silences and so on; changes of greater importance may include the way of organizing melody, rhythm, harmonization, and so on.

In music therapy the principle of imitation is practiced in this way, with each partner becoming used to changing his internal feeling and responding to external conditions.

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Padula, A. (2006) Ethics in music therapy: the role of the patient. Music Therapy Today (Online) Vol.VII (1) 30-38. available at http://musictherapyworld.net

Fromm too reflects on this theme. He shows that it is a mistake to become too conformist. This can turn individuals into time-servers, who are so afraid of being individualistic, and paying the penalty of being in the minority, that they voluntarily give up their freedom, originality and autonomy, hoping to gain acceptance and approval by the community.

Fromm emphasizes resolutely the risks of practising both behaviours in an absolute and thus excessive way: an excess of individualism leads to psychosis, an excess of conformity leads to alienation.

Now, going back to the definition of ethics (ethics is a reflection on values that guide socially approved forms of conduct) we can see that Jung and Fromm both deem that it is fundamental to take an active part in one’s own community, but without giving up one’s individuality and selfintegrity.

Fromm particularly stresses the value of productivity, significantly defined as “an active and creative relationship of a human with himself and with his fellows, which can be effectively realized in the arts” (Fromm, 1980: 39, 333 ff).

Art is a form of expression which is always active and creative, because even those who merely enjoy a work of art, when they enter into a relation with this work, strive to comprehend it, re-creating in themselves a series of thoughts and emotions, analogous to that experienced by the artist.

The sharing of an artistic experience establishes a relationship among those who enjoy the work of art, its creator, and all those who, in the course of time, enter into a relationship with this work: in enjoying a musical piece, for instance, the listener becomes part of Gadamer’s “hermeneutic circle” (Gadamer, 1983: 312 ff, 340 ff) establishing rela35

Padula, A. (2006) Ethics in music therapy: the role of the patient. Music Therapy Today (Online) Vol.VII (1) 30-38. available at http://musictherapyworld.net

tionships with the composer, the musicians who have performed the piece, the music critics who have analysed it, and so on.

Therefore, the music therapy course consists of moments of listening, expressing and communicating through sounds and silences, and the patient who begins that course has the best chance to experience Jung’s processes of adaptation : adaptation to the therapy, with the patient adapting himself to the basic rules of music and striving to grasp the fundamental ideas of this therapeutic method • adaptation to the therapist, having trust in the therapist and in the methods and techniques he uses • adaptation to the inner state, seeking for correspondences between the musical pieces the patient listens to and his own inner world, and expressing the contents of that inner world through his own musical performance • and adaptation to external conditions, seeking to enjoy musical pieces as a shared experience and establishing musical communication with other people.

•

References Aristotle (1999), Etica nicomachea, Bari: Laterza.

Fromm, E. (1980), Psicanalisi della società contemporanea (original title: The Sane Society), Milano: Edizioni di Comunità.

Gadamer, H.G. (1983), Verità e metodo (original title: Wahrheit und Methode). Milano: Fabbri, Bompiani, Sonzogno, Etas.

Jung, C.G. (1983), Adattamento (original title: Anpassung), in Jung, C.G. (1983), Opere, Torino: Boringhieri, VIII, 309-312.

References

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Padula, A. (2006) Ethics in music therapy: the role of the patient. Music Therapy Today (Online) Vol.VII (1) 30-38. available at http://musictherapyworld.net

Jung, C.G. (1983), Individuazione e collettività (original title: Individuation und Kollektivität), in Jung, C.G. (1983), Opere, Torino: Boringhieri, VIII, 313-314.

Jung, C.G. (1983), L’io e l’inconscio (original title: Die Beziehungen zwischen dem Ich und dem Unbewussten), in Jung, C.G. (1983), Opere, Torino: Boringhieri, VIII, 21-236.

Jung, C.G. (1983), La struttura dell’inconscio (original title: Die Struktur des Unbewussten), in Jung, C.G. (1983), Opere, Torino: Boringhieri, VIII, 263-305.

Padula, A. (2005), Comunicazione sonora e musicoterapia, 2nd editino, Biella: Accademia Perosi.

Author Information

Author Information

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Padula, A. (2006) Ethics in music therapy: the role of the patient. Music Therapy Today (Online) Vol.VII (1) 30-38. available at http://musictherapyworld.net

Alessandra Padula is an Italian musician and music therapist. She holds the MMs in both piano and harpsichord (Pescara Conservatory) and MA in Linguistics (Chieti University).

Professor in piano at Pescara Conservatory, she has served as member of several conservatory committees. Previously on the Education faculty of L’Aquila University and Social Sciences faculty of Chieti University, she came to the Medicine faculty of L’Aquila University in 2003, where she teaches “music therapy in psychiatric diseases”.

She has received some awards for music performance, music teaching and organizing of social projects.

THIS ARTICLE CAN BE CITED AS:

Padula, A. (2006) Ethics in music therapy: the role of the patient. Music Therapy Today (Online) Vol.VII (1) 30-38. available at http://musictherapyworld.net

Author Information

38

Music Therapy Today Vol. VII (1) (March) 2006

The revival of Traditional Oriental Music Therapy discussed by cross cultural reflections and a pilot scheme of a quantitative EEG-analysis for patients in Minimally Responsive State.

Gerhard K. Tucek1, Monika Murg2, Ann Mary Auer-Pekarsky', Walter Oder1 Robert Stepansky2,

Introduction: In this paper we will present a short report about the exciting trial to revive Traditional Oriental Music Therapy (TOMT). Further we would like to present preliminary data of an EEG study. It is a project of transcultural relations as well as connecting history with the present time.

In the early 70ies of the last century Dr. R. Oruc Güvenc, who is teaching now at Marmara University in Istanbul, started his research on some historical documents of Turkish music therapy such as the "hasim bey mec1. Institute for Ethno-Music- Therapy, Niederneustift 66, A-3924 Schloß Rosenau (Head of the Institute: Mag. Dr. Gerhard Tucek) 2. Rehabilitation Centre for Brain Injury Patients, Allgemeine Unfallversicherungsanstalt, Kundratstraße 37, A- 1120 Vienna, (Medical Director: Prim. Univ. Prof. Dr. Walter Oder)

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Tucek, G.; Murg, M.; Auer-Pekarsky, A.M..; Ode, W. & Stepansky, R. (2006) The revival of Traditional Oriental Music Therapy ...

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muasi" (picture 1), which was written approximately 150 years ago. I have had the pleasure of taking part in this work since 1984.

FIGURE 1. "hasim bey mecmuasi"

Whereas Mr. Gßvenc’s perspective is a more traditional and Turkish one, my approach to this therapy is a more trans-cultural and clinical one.

From my professional background I am a cultural scientist as well as a music therapist. As a clinical music therapist I work in the fields of neurological and cardiologic rehabilitation, children-oncology, multiply handicapped children and psychiatric rehabilitation. Today music therapy

Introduction:

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Tucek, G.; Murg, M.; Auer-Pekarsky, A.M..; Ode, W. & Stepansky, R. (2006) The revival of Traditional Oriental Music Therapy ...

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in general has to be seen as a rational science as well as an art with irrational aspects. We know that anthropological, cultural and personal dispositions play an important role in the reception of music.

From my perspective as a cultural scientist, TOMT has its value as a historical expression of Turkish and Arabian cultural soul. From the perspective of a clinician this cannot be a sufficient argument for establishing an Islamic method of music therapy in Europe. Very often I have been asked the following question: Why should we use TOMT in Europe? We had to find conclusive answers. (I will discuss this point a little bit later). The revival of TOMT is a process on different levels and made it necessary to establish: • • • • •

Educational and training programmes Clinical practice Research on historical documents Clinical research in different medical fields Social research on the reception of TOMT by clinicians, patients and colleagues

I will focus my paper on two aspects.

ASPECT ONE:

As the head of an institute where students are trained in this method, I have to take care that courses are not misunderstood as an esoteric fairytale or religious educational programme.

As we know that this music therapy has one of its roots in Sufi-music and in Islamic Sufi-philosophy it is very important to insist on teaching just a therapeutic method and that it is not required to profess a special religious belief or path.

Introduction:

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Tucek, G.; Murg, M.; Auer-Pekarsky, A.M..; Ode, W. & Stepansky, R. (2006) The revival of Traditional Oriental Music Therapy ...

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FIGURE 2. Music therapy - scene in the hospital in Edirne

As our students have different backgrounds they also have very different approaches to Turkish and Arabian culture. That's why we have to discern four different levels in the quality of this trans-cultural and -religious contact.

According to Wolfgang Mastnak, just knowing the name of Turkish or Arabian culture lacks deeper experience or depends merely on unfounded associations. The maximum this nominal level of cultural understanding

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Tucek, G.; Murg, M.; Auer-Pekarsky, A.M..; Ode, W. & Stepansky, R. (2006) The revival of Traditional Oriental Music Therapy ...

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is able to achieve is similar to the correct solution of a crossword puzzle [in 33].

Following nothing else but the exotic fascination of a foreign culture one risks replacing appropriate cultural understanding by the bare projection of one’s own desires. Intercultural encounter on this projective level would rather mean misuse in order to supply some very personal want than the true trans - cultural touch. The illusion of a fairy - tale - like experience of culture seems to charm more than tough but appropriate ethnological approach.

There is a huge gap to bridge between the projective level of imagination on the one hand and the competent level of cultural consciousness on the other. Making an effort to comprehend culture as it is, and to become aware of the anthropological difference between two different cultures characterize a competent approach to an unknown living space. As this is the way ethnology goes, the quality of results depends on the crucial interplay between scientific research and the scientist's ability to acquire competence similar to primary acculturation.

The authentic level of cultural comprehension, however, results from being educated both within the territory referred to and by parents belonging to the culture concerned. Probably biological factors play a considerable role as well. This level need not necessarily include high theoretical knowledge nor does it assure appropriate reflection on cultural problems. Thus ethnological findings might seem to be superior to native cultural know how. Nevertheless an indubitable truth inheres authenticity which belongs to those who form a culture's vivid substance.

Natives may be considered to dispose of the might to modify their culture beyond dilution or destruction.

Introduction:

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Tucek, G.; Murg, M.; Auer-Pekarsky, A.M..; Ode, W. & Stepansky, R. (2006) The revival of Traditional Oriental Music Therapy ...

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In other words this authentic level cannot be achieved by European students. It has turned out that it is not always easy to come to an agreement on what we have to focus on: •

a revival of a historical Turkish/Arabian tradition of the 8th-18th century

or •

the adaptation of this method to the needs of students and patients in Europe of the 21st century.

Let me give a little example: According to the historical concept of ritual pureness during the treatment of patients, we have to face the facts that students can neither be obliged to learn Islamic purification nor to practise the Islamic ritual prayer, because both belong to an inner attitude and not to a therapeutic method.

In the lessons on the historical backgrounds of TOMT we reflect with our students upon the idea of "purification" (in Islam aspired by “abtest”) as well as the ideal of returning to one’s deepest inner source through meditation (in Islam aspired for instance by "namaz" or special sufi – meditation techniques) Such a non-rational aspect as the inner attitude of a therapist is not necessarily fixed to any specific religious belief. Everybody is asked to find his/her own approach to these topics.

I have already discussed problems of "TOMT in the Diaspora" in previous publications [11-13].

Introduction:

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Tucek, G.; Murg, M.; Auer-Pekarsky, A.M..; Ode, W. & Stepansky, R. (2006) The revival of Traditional Oriental Music Therapy ...

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ASPECT TWO:

Before coming back to the question I have mentioned above: "Why should we use TOMT in Europe?" let me give some information on the historical background of TOMT. TOMT has its roots in the healing ceremonies of central Asian shamans as well as in the wisdom of Islamic scholars (like for instance Al Kindi, Al Farabi, Avicenna, Rhases etc.) who developed a system of tonalities (Makam) which was influenced by the medical and musical systems of the Greek (Galen, Aristotle, Plato). TOMT was integrated into Islamic medicine.

FIGURE 3. Edirne 1

Introduction:

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Tucek, G.; Murg, M.; Auer-Pekarsky, A.M..; Ode, W. & Stepansky, R. (2006) The revival of Traditional Oriental Music Therapy ...

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FIGURE 4. Edirne 2

FIGURE 5. Edirne 3

The effects of the Makams have been documented for about one nine hundred years. Music became a connecting link between the physical and psychic process.

Introduction:

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Tucek, G.; Murg, M.; Auer-Pekarsky, A.M..; Ode, W. & Stepansky, R. (2006) The revival of Traditional Oriental Music Therapy ...

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Translations of historical documents about TOMT were published by Kümmel [30], Shiloah [27], Farmer [32], Neubauer [29], Bürgel [31] and others. Also Nil Sari [28] worked on this topic.

Today we use these documents as an inspiration for our clinical work.

According to historical literature, (in the beginning of our clinical work about 10 years ago) TOMT followed the idea of direct influences on physical organs and emotions. Its effects were described as follows: • • • •

•

Activation and strengthening of the immune system Balancing physiological stress (reduction of the side effects of medical drugs e.g. cytostatic drugs) Ease from acute and chronic pain Evoking a general disposition of cheerfulness and joy (helping to overcome anxiety and depression; balancing pathological emotions etc.)

Integration of various dimensions of personality through acceptance and transformation. (physical, emotional, cognitive, social, mental/ spiritual)

We have to understand that in today’s German-speaking countries there live almost four million Turks as well as many more people from Islamic countries. Very often medical treatment fails with these people because we cannot offer appropriate methods according to their cultural background. By the way, to me this seems to be an important aspect for the Turkish medical system too. I have the impression that the modern Turkish medical system is grounded just on biological treatment. Psychological aspects seem to be more or less ignored. TOMT might be an appropriate offer to Muslims who live in Europe.

Concerning the question of how to use TOMT for European patients I am going to show you two short sequences of our practical therapeutic work.

Introduction:

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Tucek, G.; Murg, M.; Auer-Pekarsky, A.M..; Ode, W. & Stepansky, R. (2006) The revival of Traditional Oriental Music Therapy ...

Music Therapy Today (Online) Vol.VII (1), (March) 39.64. available at http://musictherapyworld.net

FIGURE 6.

Download video Quicktime mp4 (2,3 M B) / Realplayer .rm (5,8 MB) FIGURE 7. 4 months later

Download video Quicktime mp4 (7,3 M B) / Realplayer .rm (17,6 MB) The patient you will see is already in an advanced state of rehabilitation.

Because of ethical reasons I do not show any patient in the full state of

Introduction:

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Tucek, G.; Murg, M.; Auer-Pekarsky, A.M..; Ode, W. & Stepansky, R. (2006) The revival of Traditional Oriental Music Therapy ...

Music Therapy Today (Online) Vol.VII (1), (March) 39.64. available at http://musictherapyworld.net

the apallic syndrome. The patient’s wife permitted me to show these two video sequences.

Today we use historical documents as an inspiration for our clinical work. We focus on the patient’s abilities (and not his pathology), the special character of Turkish music and a joy- and meaningful interaction between patient and therapist. That means the necessity of transferring emotional aspects through music in our cultural understanding. In other words, the music is understood as a container for “new” emotional aspects. This aesthetically “new” aspect should not be too far away from the world of cultural experience of the patient.

EEG Study According to our findings in the EEG-research it seems, that oriental Makam music and pentatonic scales can be easily processed by patients in a minimal responsive state of an Apallic Syndrome. But also in that case, the music has to be understood as meaningful interaction and performance between patient and therapist.There does not seem to be any more devastating neurological condition than the minimal responsive state following extremely severe brain injury [8, 21].

BACKGROUND

Due to improvements in modern medicine many more patients survive extremely severe traumatic brain injury who would have died some years ago. Up to one third of them only obtain arousal with no sign of awareness. This neurological condition has been termed Apallic Syndrome [1, 2].

Vegetative functions persist in these patients, but there seems to be no evidence of voluntary responses to various exogenous stimuli, of language expression or comprehension. Functional neuro-imaging studies

EEG Study

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Tucek, G.; Murg, M.; Auer-Pekarsky, A.M..; Ode, W. & Stepansky, R. (2006) The revival of Traditional Oriental Music Therapy ...

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with Positron Emission Tomography (PET) have demonstrated that association cortices are functionally disconnected [3, 4]. Misdiagnosis is not uncommon, prognosis of the likelihood of recovery is regarded as extremely difficult. Initially, recovery may not be an all- or- none phenomenon but is often characterised by subtle and inconsistent reactions to stimuli dependent on the patient’s actual clinical condition and also heavily on the environment [5-7]. The term „minimally responsive state“ has recently been used to characterise this neurological state [9, 10].

Rehabilitation efforts focus on: prophylaxis and treatment of complications • and on inducing early recovery by means of various stimulating procedures •

In this context TOMT may be seen as a special kind of stimulant technique.

The bio-physiological effects of music. Musical stimuli like tones or melodies are known to be processed in the secondary auditory cortex in the right superior temporal gyrus. An auditory working memory system has been found in the right hemisphere with extensive connections to the frontal lobe. The left hemisphere is also involved in listening to more complex musical stimuli. Areas in the visual cortex area are also activated while listening to music, possibly a correlate of provoked visual imagery [16-19].

AIMS

We use the Makams “Rast” and “Segah” which effect the functional systems of the brain and eyes as well as the Makam “Nihavent” which is related to muscle relaxation. The structure of these makams are not too far away from the aesthetic experience of European listeners.

EEG Study

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Tucek, G.; Murg, M.; Auer-Pekarsky, A.M..; Ode, W. & Stepansky, R. (2006) The revival of Traditional Oriental Music Therapy ...

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The main aim of TOMT in the rehabilitation of patients in a “minimally responsive state“ is to induce communication and to increase awareness.

We were using the EEG to correllate TOMT induced changes of vigilance, consciousness states and awarenes.

PATIENTS AND METHOD

Over the past nine years we have treated about 200 patients with TOMT. TOMT tries to communicate with patients in a minimally responsive state on two different levels: 1. primarily, in a non-verbal way by means of the “Makam” music as well as pentatonic scales 2. secondary, by means of establishing a therapeutic relation between patient and therapist referring to Buber’s philosophical concept of "Me - You / Me - It - relation"[14, 15].

In five male patients in a minimally responsive state (age: 39,6 range 3247) and two female controls (23 + 28y) serial EEG-recordings (5 recordings each, all together 35 recordings) were performed prior to, during and after TOMT played live, 15 minutes each, using digital quantitative EEG recordings (Oxford Medelec 10/20 System, Fast Fourier Transformation, Multimedia Medelec) • Serial neurological scoring by means of the Coma Remission Scale (KRS) according to Schönle [26] was done.

•

EEG Study

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Tucek, G.; Murg, M.; Auer-Pekarsky, A.M..; Ode, W. & Stepansky, R. (2006) The revival of Traditional Oriental Music Therapy ...

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RESULTS

FIGURE 8. Results coma remission scale before and after TOMT (N=5)

Legend: Arousal/Attention (0-5); Motorical startle (0-6); Speech motoricity (0-3); Auditory reaction (0-3); Visual reaction (0-4); Tactile reaction (0-3)

EEG Study

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Tucek, G.; Murg, M.; Auer-Pekarsky, A.M..; Ode, W. & Stepansky, R. (2006) The revival of Traditional Oriental Music Therapy ...

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FIGURE 9. Results CRS; SSEP and EEG for 5 patients (only in German)

FIGURE 10. EEG -alpha and theta increases seem to be more marked over central regions in controls (Kontrollpersonen)

EEG Study

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Tucek, G.; Murg, M.; Auer-Pekarsky, A.M..; Ode, W. & Stepansky, R. (2006) The revival of Traditional Oriental Music Therapy ...

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during TOMT and over temporal regions (see figure 11) in patients (Patienten) after the music.

FIGURE 11. (Patient Data) Temporal Theta and Alpha changes left (li) and right (re): before (vor), during (w채hrend) and after (nach) TOMT.

EEG Study

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Tucek, G.; Murg, M.; Auer-Pekarsky, A.M..; Ode, W. & Stepansky, R. (2006) The revival of Traditional Oriental Music Therapy ...

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FIGURE 12. Patients show an increase of alpha- and theta power over both occipital regions which reflects an improvement either of vigilance and relaxation but also partially preserved auditory processing.

FIGURE 13. Healthy control subjects (Kontrollpersonen) show an increase of alpha and theta power over the left occipital region

EEG Study

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Tucek, G.; Murg, M.; Auer-Pekarsky, A.M..; Ode, W. & Stepansky, R. (2006) The revival of Traditional Oriental Music Therapy ...

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which reflects auditory processing more in the left hemisphere than in the right

DISCUSSION

The increase of alpha power reflects relaxation and was observed in all patients and in the control subjects in at least two brain regions during therapy. The increase of theta and alpha power could be interpreted as a neurophysiological correlate of a possible positive effect of TOMT, since the patients also showed an improvement in KRS-score after therapy (Figure 8 on page 52 and Figure 9 on page 53), and control persons reported a trance-like condition during TOMT. The clinical observations of these patients during the weeks of rehabilitation documented some signs of overall recovery in these patients. Of course, the patients in the minimally responsive state were not able to give us a verbal feedback concerning the therapy, but the improvement in the KRS-score seems to be one hint, and the EEG-findings another one.

At any rate, it seems remarkable that TOMT can induce changes in consciousness with corresponding bioelectrical alterations demonstrated by

EEG Study

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Tucek, G.; Murg, M.; Auer-Pekarsky, A.M..; Ode, W. & Stepansky, R. (2006) The revival of Traditional Oriental Music Therapy ...

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means of quantitative EEG recordings at least in some of the minimally responsive patients.

Analogous findings in healthy persons during trance and hypnosis are consistent with the results of the present study: An increase of theta waves seems to be the bioelectrical equivalent of these altered states of consciousness [22-24]. In this context, the study of Ramos und CorsiCabrera [20] seems to be interesting, pleasant music is associated with an increase of theta power.

Many methodological difficulties have to be considered in the present study: Data registration turned out to be rather troublesome in the extremely severely impaired patients because of movement artefacts. In other words: every time when the patient shows a concrete reaction we see EEG – artefacts. EEG measuring may show a general activation or relaxation through the effect of music, but not the aspect of interaction between patient and therapist.

• Interpretation of the quantitative EEG-examinations is difficult in the group of patients since all had survived extremely severe brain injury in demonstrating marked abnormal standard EEG examinations indicating focal or generalized lesions.

•

CONCLUSION

Therefore, the interpretation of our first results has to be interpreted very cautiously. Regional changes in electrical brain activity cannot be detected in this small sample group. Generalized EEG-changes reflecting changes in the consciousness level may be induced by music, but there might be confounding variables like tiredness, uncomfortable recording procedures, pain etc.

In the rehabilitation of patients in the apallic syndrome comfortable positioning and pleasant surroundings are extremely important. In further studies we will have to ensure for optimal testing conditions for all subjects. In further studies it seems useful to evaluate the subjective feelings

EEG Study

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Tucek, G.; Murg, M.; Auer-Pekarsky, A.M..; Ode, W. & Stepansky, R. (2006) The revival of Traditional Oriental Music Therapy ...

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and impressions of the healthy controls by means of a standardized questionnaire in order to test the hypothesis that a trance-like condition is associated with an increase of theta and alpha power.

Further studies dealing with a more representative sample group of patients are necessary to evaluate the effects and the possible benefits of TOMT in extremely severely impaired neurological patients.

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AICHNER, F.: Prediction of recovery from post-traumatic vegetative state with cerebral magnetic-resonance imaging. Lancet, 351: 17631767, 1998.

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tureller Dialog. Herlga Egner (Hrsg.) Patmos Verlagshaus Düsseldorf & Zürich; 2003 12.TUCEK, G.K.: Altorientalische Musiktherapie. In: Christine E. Gottschalk-Batschkus & Joy C. Green.(Hrsg.): Handbuch der Ethnotherapien / Handbook of Ethnotherapies. BoD Print on Demand Hamburg im Auftrag von Ethnomed - Institut für Ethnomedizin e.V. München Melusinenstr. 2, D-81671 München Germany ISBN 3-8311-4184-3;_ 2002 13.TUCEK, G.K. : Altorientalische Musik- und Tanztherapie. In Jahrbuch für Transkulturelle Medizin und Psychotherapie. Verlag für Wissenschaft und Bildung Berlin, 1999.

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17.NAKAMURA, S., SADATO, N., OOHASHI, T., NISHINA, E., FUWAMOTO, Y. and YONEKURA, Y.: Analysis of music-brain interaction with simultaneous measurement of regional blood flow and electroencephalogram beta rhythm in human subjects. Neuroscience Letters, 275:222-226, 1999.

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19.SERGENT, J.. Music, the brain and Ravel. TINS, 16: 168-172, 1993.

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27.SHILOAH, A. (1979). RISM The Theory of Music in Arabic Writings, (900-1900). Descriptive catalogue of manuscripts in Libraries of Europe and the USA. München: Henle 28.SARI, N. (2002):(Hrsg.) Ülker Erke'nin Yorumu ve Fircasiyla Türkiye'de Tarihi Saglik Kurumlari. Historical Health Institutions in Turkey Through Ülker Erke's View and Stile. 38th International congress on History of Medicine. Istanbul. ISBN:975-420-227-3 29.NEUBAUER, E. (1990): Arabische Anleitungen zur Musiktherapie.

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33.TUCEK G.K.: (2003) Altorientalische Musiktherapie im Spannungsfeld zwischen interkulturellem Dialog und transkultureller Anwendung.

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Author Information FIGURE 14. Gerhard Tucek

Music therapist, specific interests: neurological and cardiological rehabilitation, pediatric oncology, work with handicapped persons; clinical therapy research; practice research. University education: studies of applied cultural sciences (Mag.phil.) and ethnology (Dr.phil.); university Author Information

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Tucek, G.; Murg, M.; Auer-Pekarsky, A.M..; Ode, W. & Stepansky, R. (2006) The revival of Traditional Oriental Music Therapy ...

Music Therapy Today (Online) Vol.VII (1), (March) 39.64. available at http://musictherapyworld.net

training course in practice research; studies of traditional oriental music therapy with Dr. Oruc Güvenc 1989 – 2000 establishing the „School for traditional oriental music therapy“ in cooperation with Dr. Oruc Güvenc. Since 1997 Director of the course in traditional oriental music therapy. Since 2004 Lecturer at the University for Music and Performing Art, Vienna, since 2005 at the Institute for Culture & Social Anthropology of Vienna University. Since 2002: Director of the seminar and lecture series „Mensch – Kunst – Medizin“ (in cooperation with GAMED and Karajan Centrum Vienna).

2004: Founding member and Director of IMARAA (international music and art research association austria) ADDRESS:

Institute for Ethno-Music-Therapy, Niederneustift 66, A-3924 Schloss Rosenau (Head of the Institute: Mag. Dr. Gerhard Tucek)

THIS ARTICLE CAN BE CITED AS:

Tucek, G.; Murg, M.; Auer-Pekarsky, A.M..; Ode, W. & Stepansky, R. (2006) The revival of Traditional Oriental Music Therapy discussed by cross cultural reflections and a pilot scheme of a quantitative EEG-analysis for patients in Minimally Responsive State. Music Therapy Today (Online) Vol.VII (1), (March) 39-64. available at http://musictherapyworld.net

Author Information

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Music Therapy Today Vol. VII (1) (March) 2006

Performative Health – a commentary on Traditional Oriental Music Therapy David Aldridge

We see that human activity is a performance. Consciousness, or knowing with, is a dialogical activity. We can speak of the ecology of communication as a mutual dynamic performance. The same can be said of cognition. It is a dynamic state that we achieve with others. Rhythm is a substrate of this ecology; not fixed but dynamic and flowing.

The performative metaphor was developed because I wanted to get away from the mechanical concept of chronological time and a body that could be repaired like a mechanism. We are more like works of art, and composed improvised pieces of work that at. Indeed, by extending the metaphor we can regard ourselves as works in progress, if not working in progress. This has implications for the performance of our development.

Development is not simply a process that takes place in babies and small children. We develop throughout our lives.

When we think about development, we often consider this in linear progress like climbing a ladder upwards for the most of our lives with a 65

Aldridge, D. (2006) Performative Health – a commentary on Traditional Oriental Music Therapy. Music Therapy Today (Online) Vol.VII (1) 65-69. available at http://musictherapyworld.net

rapid decline at the end. However, maybe our lives are not so simply performed. Sometimes we regress, to make leaps forward. If we release ourselves from the idea of a developmental ladder of progress, then we can open ourselves to a constellation of stages through which we move during our life course. And, stages are those places where performances can take place.

Such participative performances were traditionally the basis for healing rituals that included music. One of the difficulties about writing about traditional approaches is that they are located in a past, that has its own validity, but how can they be transposed in time to the present and to other cultures. Comparison between classical Sufi descriptions of a mystical states and mystical stations demand considerable reinterpretation even if we want to integrate them with modern and post-modern concerns about the mysticism of everyday life. The Sufi path is marked by a number of different stages or stations (maqam/maqamat) which the Sufi traveler passes through as he advances on the path. On his way the Sufi also experiences various psychological and emotional states. States differ from the stations through which the Sufi passes in that the states are transitory experiences granted to him by God and over which he has no control, whereas the stations are permanent stages on the path which he has achieved through his own individual effort.

One of the difficulties in studying Sufi writings is that authors will differ in their categorization of states and stations. One reason being that the knowledge of such states is gained through interior experiences rather than on knowledge gained through the external senses. A second, but related reason, is that each teacher will pass on that experience according to the time, place and students that he is teaching. We can see the same things for the teaching that Gerhard Tucek writes about. These teachings were specific for a particular time, place and persons, like all schools of 66

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therapy. Transferring them directly to a modern day context is rather like trying to turn us into 14 century musicians or 11th century patients in a particular location in Turkey. Traditions have to live anew and that is through the direct understanding of making music today.

In trying to understand healing musics then we must locate these within cultures that are relevant to their performance. We not only have performers but listeners. When we consider musics that heal, then we also have rituals that are located within particular communities with clearly defined roles and expectations. In some countries, musicians playing this music were from a particular caste and had a specific hierarchical relationship with the Sufi teacher and with their patrons. The principal function of the music was not in terms of healing but religious, in terms of spiritual attainment, although some musical modes were considered to be healing. The reasons why some of these musics are no longer applicable to health care delivery is that either they have been superceded by practices that are more effective, the natures of illness has changed relevant to time and culture, and our expectations of the process of sickness and recovery is different.

The use of the term may be at first confusing. Maqam is literally a station in terms of a spiritual station or developmental level, as distinct from a state of consciousness. It is also a "scale" or "mode" in Arabic, Indic and Near-Eastern music. The maqam (plural maqamat) is a musical theme or style that defines the pitches, patterns, and development of a piece of music. If we wish to translate this into a Western term, the terms that comes closest to describing the maqam is the mode. A mode, in music, is an ordered series of musical intervals, which along with the key, or tonic, define the pitches. In the world of Arab musics, the word maqam refers to specific tone scales, of which there is an enormous variety, and these include a vast range of `microtones'. The Arabic scales, from which 67

Aldridge, D. (2006) Performative Health – a commentary on Traditional Oriental Music Therapy. Music Therapy Today (Online) Vol.VII (1) 65-69. available at http://musictherapyworld.net

maqamat are built, are not even-tempered, unlike the chromatic scale used in Western classical music. Instead, 5th notes are tuned based on the 3rd harmonic. The tuning of the remaining notes entirely depends on the maqam. The reasons for this tuning are probably historically based on string instruments like the oud. A side effect of not having even-tempered tuning is that the same note (by name) may have a slightly different pitch depending on which maqam it is played in.

Many maqamat include notes that can be approximated with quarter tones, although they rarely are precise quarters falling exactly halfway between two semitones and depend upon microtonal subtleties. Each maqam must be learned by ear. This aural tradition is taught by a teacher and protected by that teacher. We also see this in terms of Sufi teachings that are passed on from teacher to seeker, where the teacher encourages the seeker to have experiences that lead to knowledge. Hence, each teacher will emphasizes that it is his way that must be followed, and his way alone. This causes particular problem in modern systems of learning where students are encouraged to learn in modern settings but with a traditional, and sometimes fossilized, attitude.

Music as healing agent, music in healing rituals and music therapy in cultures of care are all vibrant activities that we can be involved in. We have resources of knowledge that can be shared and pooled. There is no one singular way of understanding this multiplicity of knowledge. Fortunately we are developing research cultures of tolerance that see human knowledge as being many-sided. Together we can orchestrate our knowings into a symphony of wisdom. In this sense health is a performance that can be achieved. Health is not simply a singular performance; it is performed with others. A woman that Wolfgang Schmid worked with said she was no longer a patient but a musician. Here lies an element of healing, the change in self-awareness from a stigmatized person with a 68

Aldridge, D. (2006) Performative Health – a commentary on Traditional Oriental Music Therapy. Music Therapy Today (Online) Vol.VII (1) 65-69. available at http://musictherapyworld.net

degenerating future to the emergence of a proud creative artist. To achieve this performance she needed the mutuality of the relationship in a context that we defined as healing.

THIS ARTICLE CAN BE CITED AS:

Aldridge, D. (2006) Performative Health – a commentary on Traditional Oriental Music Therapy. Music Therapy Today (Online) Vol.VII (1) 6569. available at http://musictherapyworld.net

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Music Therapy Today Vol. VII (1) (March) 2006

Music, perception and altered states of consciousness Aldridge, D., Fachner, J. and Schmid, W. A lecture series at the Chair of Qualitative Research in Medicine and the Institute of Music Therapy

Thursdays 5.30 – 7.00 p.m., University Witten/Herdecke, Room 2.316

„Our normal waking consciousness, rational consciousness as we call it, is but one special type of consciousness, whilst all about it, parted from the filmiest of screens, there lies potential forms of consciousness entirely different“ (James, 1902, p.228)

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The subject of this lecture series is the therapeutic, ritual, hedonistic and spiritual use of music, and related aspects of alterations in perception and consciousness. How does music effect patients in persistent vegetative state, or persons whose self-perception is impaired by pathological processes? How can a song from an early period in life trigger spiritual questions in a person at the end of his or her life, and give consolation and hope? How does music perception change, at a rave party for example, under the influence of psychoactive drugs? What is the role of music itself, and what is the role of the context where music is heard or produced?

Sensual perception Altered states of consciousness appear attractive when we feel burdened down by all the routines, the haggling and tedious details of everyday life. We want to “Get away from it all”, lie on a beach, let the sun warm us after a swim. The music drifting over from the beach bar sounds alive and real. Maybe a few drinks help and companions too can be a distraction. What changes then my normal state of consciousness? The music, the drinks, the company or the sunshine?

In 1966, in the „Archives of General Psychiatry“, Ludwig described altered states of consciousness as changes in thinking, time perception, loss of control, changes in emotionality, body scheme, perception, experience of meaning; a feeling of the unexpressable, of renewal and rebirth and hyper-suggestibility. Music and intoxication appear to have the same forms of emotional processing, at least with regard to the processing in the limbic system. Everybody has musical preferences, and there are those very special pieces of music that make us shiver. Based on such musical favorites, Blood and Zatorre demonstrated that musical informa-

Sensual perception

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tion reaches brain structures that are involved in conveying emotions.

Test persons listening to favorite music revealed changes not only in the activity of the autonomous nerve system, as demonstrated by changes in cardiac beat, muscletone, skin resistance and depth of breath, but also in blood flow in brain structures that are involved in processing emotional stimuli according to latest research. The activation pattern (blood flow) of regions in the brain closely resembles activation patterns induced by drugs that have a primarily euphorising effect, like cocaine for example.

This indicates that the perception of favorite music directly interacts with structures associated with emotions (Blood & Zatorre, 2001).

Music and consciousness as performance “Music and consciousness are things we do�, as David Aldridge writes in his book on which this lecture series is based (Aldridge & Fachner, 2006). What we do, we do in a context that is experienced in time and space, where our attention is directed selectively to those matters which we can perceive and which are significant in specific situations. On a day at the seaside, the beautiful beach and the deep-blue sea are not simply an aesthetic background to perception but are essential dynamic elements of that consciousness.

Deliberate processual changes in the perception of one's own person, own self and body through music, meditation, hypnosis and psychoactive substances etc. have been used for therapeutic purposes in many ways.

For a long time therapists have attempted to change the (usual) focus of perception. William James experimented already with nitrous oxide or laughing gas when he explored the limits of our sensory perception and the selective processes of a deliberately perceived world marked by socialization and enculturation.

Music and consciousness as performance

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When music is used in medical settings of neurological rehabilitation, as we will see in some lectures during this series, we are concerned with returning people to those performances of their bodies within which they can dwell and recognise ourselves. People are encouraged to fit into an ecological niche that is performed. Rehabilitation is a process refitting us to a set of habits that make living sense. Sense in a neurological way of feeling and sense as understanding. Fitting into an ecology is a continuing performance that we have with others; it is dynamic not fixed - like making music, like achieving consciousness, like performing health (Aldridge 2005b). The weak, the sick and the needy - the people we will hear about in some parts of this seminar series - also are part of that performance we have as a communal life. Not only are we challenged to help them fit into living life to the full, they challenge us to perform compassion.

Borderline experience Art, as therapy, seeks to transcend the limitations of illness by dynamically altering the aesthetics of perception. �Guided Imagery in Music', was a product of psychedelic therapy in the early sixties, where psychoactive substances were used under the supervision of psychotherapists.

The therapeutic purpose was to weaken psychological defenses and produce, combined with a programmatic use of classical and modern music, an unhampered flow of associations for psychotherapy (Bonny & Savary, 1973). After the wave of drug prohibition, only music was left for therapeutic journeys of imagination. Psychedelic therapy research in this area was restricted. Currently we see a renaissance of research with psychedelics, and some of the research protocolls discussed by health authorities even mention the application of music (Horgan, 2005).

Borderline experience

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Studies addressing state-specific memories in the sense of psychiatric 'model psychosis' promise interesting results for an understanding and explanation of music therapy processes in Alzheimer and dementia patients (Thaut & de l'Etoile, 1993). State-specific processes may be triggered by the singing of songs and help to create a present time structured by music through intensive memories of the past, of youth and health. In contrast, music therapy appears to remind drug addicts of drug-induced states (Horesh, 2003).

Ethnic healing rituals frequently use monochromic sounds and pulsation instruments. Many instruments used for such purposes, drums, wind or stringed instruments, have their specific function within the ritual, stemming from tradition, myths, cosmologies and corresponding musical practice. There is an on-going argument between researchers and clinicians which aspects are really significant: the sound characteristics of instruments, their symbolism, the context and procedures, or the mental intention between the activities. We shall critically review studies from anthroplogy and ethnomusic science that provide details on healing rituals and describe the use of music therein.

But we do not have to go far; in our local hospitals and therapeutic living communities we find approaches to change consciousness and perception with therapeutic interventions. We know that coma patients are well able to hear something; but what their brain makes of this is not necessarily what we construct in the so-called 'normal state'. In music therapy interaction, we learn of other states of consciousness. Every person has the potential to make his or her state of consciousness audible, no matter the source of their disability. The immediacy of music helps open the doors of perception.

Borderline experience

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This seminar series will illustrate through a number of varying presentations how music researchers and therapists are working in varying settings where consciousness is changed. We will see how the University meets the community. Many of the presenters have completed their doctoral studies through the Chair of Qualitative Research in Medicine. Our academic studies have relevance in daily practice, as they also arise from that daily practice, thus completing the circle of the reflective practitioner in the community of inquiry (Aldridge 2005a,b). The majority of presenters in this series are trained musicians as well as having recognised qualifications as scientists. Therefore, the music and music therapy perspectives become truly inter-disciplinary.

References Aldridge, D. (2005a). Case study designs in music therapy. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Aldridge, D. (2005b). Music therapy and neurological rehabilitation: Performing health. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Aldridge, D. & Fachner, J. (Eds.). (2006). Music and altered states – Consciousness, transcendence, therapy and addictions. London: Jessica Kingsley.

Blood, A.J., & Zatorre, R.J. (2001). Intensely pleasurable responses to music correlate with activity in brain regions implicated in reward and emotion. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 98(20), 11818-11823.

Bonny, H.L., & Savary, L.M. (1973). Music and your mind. Listening with a new consciousness. New York: Harper & Row.

References

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Aldridge, D., Fachner, J., and Schmid, W. (2006) Music, perception and altered states of consciousness. Music Therapy Today (Online) Vol.VII (1) 70-76. available at http://musictherapyworld.net

Horesh, T. (2006). Dangerous music – working with the destructive and healing powers of popular music in the treatment of substance users. In Aldridge, D. & Fachner, J. (eds.) Music and altered states – Consciousness, transcendence, therapy and addictions. (pp.125-139). London: Jessica Kingsley.

Horgan, J. (2005, 26. February). Psychedelic medicine: Mind bending, health giving. New Scientist, 36ff. (http://www.newscientist.com/article/ mg18524881.400.html) James, W. (1902). The variety of religious experience. New York: Modern Library.

Ludwig, A. M. (1966). Altered states of consciousness. Arch Gen Psychiatry, 15(3), 225 -234.

Thaut, M.H., & de l’Etoile, S.K. (1993) The effects of music on mood – state-dependent recall. J Music Ther, 30(2), 70-80.

THIS ARTICLE CAN BE CITED AS:

Aldridge, D., Fachner, J., and Schmid, W. (2006) Music, perception and altered states of consciousness. Music Therapy Today (Online) Vol.VII (1) 70-76. available at http://musictherapyworld.net

References

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MUSIC THERAPY TODAY VOL. VII (1) (MARCH)

Maintaining dialogue active music therapy for people living with Multiple Sclerosis Schmid, Wolfgang

Introduction In this paper I will present you some of my practical work from the controlled study „Active Music Therapy for people living with Multiple Sclerosis“, which I in a team consisting of a doctor, a nurse, a statistician and under supervision of David Aldridge.

VIDEO EPISODE 1

I start with a video-episode out of this project. It shows the therapeutic situation as it is representative for my work with patient and therapist improvising music.

In this episode we both play on congas. The patient knows the instrument and he plays it in a characteristic way, without pauses and with many changes in his rhythmic ideas. He seems to be very concentrated on his own playing and the coordination of his hands. In fact he has a medium ataxia in his arms with problems to coordinate them.

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I accompany him in different modes: first I try to follow him, then I start to use pauses and play more impulsive rolls on my drum. This attracts his attention to me as a fellow musician and his playing changes.

FIGURE 1. Episode “becoming playful�

Download video 1 Quicktime mp4; 1,3 MB / Realplayer rm; 2,1 MB As you could hear and see, there were different levels of contact and interaction in this episode.

In my qualitative analysis of all music therapy sessions I identified the individual interaction and contact between patient and therapist as the core-construct for the therapy-course and most important for the changes in therapy. I will come back later to this idea, and continue with some informations about MS, as well as the needs of the patients for complementary and alternative therapies. Then I will present you the findings of my study, showing some quantitative results and the results of my qualitative evaluation, illustrating them with some video-episodes out of the project.

Introduction

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Background Multiple Sclerosis is the most frequent inflammatory disease of the central nervous system among young adults. There is an estimated number of 2,5 million people with MS worldwide. A major fact, patients and therapists are confronted with is, that MS is a degenerative disease and there is no cure. MS causes a variety of symptoms and complex constellations of symptoms, which can affect each area of human life. Main symptoms are fatigue (a special kind of tiredness), sensory, motor and speech problems. The origins of the disease have been intensively researched in the last decade and it became possible to influence the progress of the disease with medication to some degree.

While medical approaches undoubetly focus on a functional strategy for treatment, we cannot ignore that diseases like MS have also implications for the performance and appearance of a person in everyday life. As there are no curative treatments, we are reliant on medical as well as on palliative interventions and rehabilitation. The frequently life-long process of coping, that begins with the diagnosis of MS, requires continous efforts to adapt to changing situations and obviously demands a range of therapies which must also consider and encourage a patient´s creative abilities.

According to recent publications, MS-patients are expressing increasing interest in alternative and complementary therapies. One reason for this is that the patients want to play a more active role in coping with the disease. Another reason is the demand for a wider range of therapies to meet social and emotional needs and for mental health in general.

In my research for literature I found five studies about music therapy with MS-patients (Alcock, 2001; Magee, 2002; Rothwell, 1997; Schmidt, 1998; Springer, 2001; Wiens, 1999).

Background

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Four with qualitative, one with a quantitative design. They all have clinical, but different backgrounds and show the benefits of music therapy in giving patients a chance to become active, to become creative, and supporting them in their coping process by singing and composing songs.

Only the quantitatve study from Wiens et al. (1999) has a controlled design, showing that a special programme with singing and breathing improves the respiratory muscle strenght in patients with advanced multiple sclerosis.

THE STUDY

In my controlled study twenty patients (14 female, 6 male) with MS were involved. Their ages ranged from 29 to 47 years, and with an average disease duration of 11 years. Ten participants formed the therapy group and ten the control group. The groups included patients with minimal disability signs as well as patients with disability impairing full daily activities.The therapy group got three blocks of 8-10 individual sessions of active music therapy (Nordoff/Robbins approach)over the course of one year. Exclusion criteria were pregnancy and mental disorders requiring medication. The protection of data privacy and the ethical aspects were examined and approved by the Ethic Committee of the University of Witten/Herdecke.

Aims The main questions for the study were: What kind of specific support MS-patients can gain from Active Music Therapy? • Which changes can be discovered in standardised interviews? •

Aims

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Method FIGURE 2. Flexible design

Therefore we implemented a flexible design for the study, collecting qualitative and quantitative data. This data consisted of video episodes from the music therapy sessions. And a music therapy interview, asking participants about their experiences with music therapy.

Both groups were interviewed with a neuropsychological test battery and psychological interviews before therapy began and at three months intervals.

Method

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Results FIGURE 3.

STANDARDISED INTERVIEWS AND TESTS:

At the start of the study and at the final assessment stage one year later there were no significant differences between the music therapy group and the control group. But improvements were found for the therapy group over time in the scale values of self-acceptance, depression and anxiety. This improvements can be compared as effect sizes (shown here: dark blue: therapy-group; light blue: control-group). Here we see a considerable effect between the beginning and the end of the therapy on improving self-esteem and relieving depression and anxiety for the people of the music therapy group. Only minimal improvements were found in the subscale „communication“ of the quality of life scale.In both groups there were no recognizable changes in motor and functional abilities.

So we could say, that the form of Creative music therapy used here is valuable for promoting a positive self identity and relieving the emoResults

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tional burden on a patient. Other music therapy approaches may focus different subjects.

FIGURE 4. Self - acceptance (SESA)

The scale of self-acceptance shows a significant effect for the therapy group in self-acceptance, which is comparable to the normal population (the control group is shown in blue, music therapy group is shown in orange).

Results

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FIGURE 5. Subscale anxiety (HADS-A)

Significant differences were found for the therapy group and for the control group in the subscale anxiety of the HADS, while the values of the control for depression and self-acceptance did not show any differences over time.

This may be an indication that being recruited for a trial and being regularly assessed is perhaps in itself an important intervention for this group.

QUALITATIVE EVALUATION

I selected 37 video-episodes from the 226 sessions, showing characteristic situations of therapeutic change, which I found in a process of analysing (that means looking at and listening to them) and in discussions with my supervisor David Aldridge. The episodes were evaluated by Kellys

Results

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Repertory Grid Method and the Therapeutic Narrative Analysis, finding categories for what happens in music therapy.

A main result, the main categorie and core-construct of the qualitative evaluation is the individual contact between MS- patient and therapist in music therapy.

9 parameters for contact in music therapy. To describe this contact more in detail, I found 9 sub-categories, I call them parameters for contact in music therapy. These parameters are.: 1. „attitude of patient and therapist towards therapeutic situation“, that is e.g. do we play or do we exercise and work in music therapy ?

2. „the idea for joint music making“, e.g. a melodic motif, a mental image.

3. „The question if we improvise or play or sing a composed piece of music 4. „the material for music making: e.g the choice of instrument or the voice“ 5. „the musical roles of patient and therapist“ (this is e.g.the question who leads and who follows?).

6. „the ability to structure time“ 7. „the ability to initiate changes in play“ 8. For this we have „the dynamic elements of music“ 9. „movement“ which represents all signs of non-verbal body-language: is there bodily movement or not, is there eye-contact or not.

When I start to describe an episode in terms of this parameters for contact, I see that it is not only one parameter per episode, but two or more parameters that are connected with each other.

In the next episode with he title „thinking about music“ the parameters „attitude towards the situation“, the clearness of the „musical roles“ and the „temporal strucure“ are important for the contact, they are connected with each other and can be used to explain the interaction.

Results

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The episode shows the beginning of our playing: the patient has decided to play four drums in the same sequence. You hear what happens, when I try to follow his idea tone for tone, and what happens, when a clear Metrum and Tempo are intoduced into the music.

FIGURE 6. Episode “thinking about music�

Download video 2 Quicktime mp4 (1,6 M B) / Realplayer .rm (2,6 MB) This episode as well as the others show, that parameters for contact are connected with each other and occur together in groups. This groups have dynamic qualities depending on how they are related to each other in various situations. Although I found no hierarchy in the parameter system, I can fix three groups of parameters.

Results

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FIGURE 7. Basis parameters for contact - 1

There are the three basis-parameters: „attitude towards therapeutic situation“, the „idea for joint music making“ and the „material“. Basis-parameters stand for conscious or unconscious descisions of patient and therapist for the joint music making. They are a kind of frame for the music therapy sessions. As all parameters their properties can change and lead to another quality of contact.

Results

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FIGURE 8. Basis parameters for contact - 2

Beside the basis-parameters there are three interaction-parameters.

1. First is „movement“ which stands for all aspects of non-verbal communication like body-movements, gesture or mimic.

2. Second is the „musical roles“: I found that it is very important in music therapy with MS-patients, to help them to find a clear musical role, as we have it in a song for example. : singer and accompanist.

3. The third interaction-parameter is „temporal structure“, which means, that the ability to structure time gives both players or singers a reliable temporal ground for their interaction.

Results

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FIGURE 9. Basis parameters for contact - 2

Last but not least there are two alteration-parameters, which stand for changes in music like ritardando or accelerando but also for changes in style or mood of music.

Phases of contact. This three groups of parameters follow each other and can be described as phases for contact in active music therapy with MS-patients.

1. First phase is „exploration“: where patient and therapist become active. Within his activity the patient can orientate himself.

2. The second phase is „interaction“: here a bodily experience comes into music; the patient integrates his body-movements into his musical expression. His body-expressions become part of the encounter.

3. The third phase is „development“: in which the expressive repertoire of both, patient and therapist, develops and both find in a new balance.

Results

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This three groups of parameters follow each other and can be described as phases for contact in active music therapy with MS-patients.

1. First phase is „exploration“: where patient and therapist become active. Within his activity the patient can orientate himself.

2. The second phase is „interaction“: here a bodily experience comes into music; the patient integrates his body-movements into his musical expression. His body-expressions become part of the encounter.

3. The third phase is „development“: in which the expressive repertoire of both, patient and therapist, develops and both find in a new balance.

I would like to play some more episodes to you, focussing the second phase of contact „Interaction“ with coordination and bodily experience in music therapy interaction.

I found that active joint music makong supports patients bodily experience as well as the expressive repertoire of their bodies.

Results

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FIGURE 10.

This happens in many individual ways and is shown in the parameter grafik. „Movement“ can be supported by MATERIAL: Instruments which have sounding qualities like gongs, the steel-drum etc. in contrast to rhythmic instruments • singing songs as well as improvising • MUSICAL ROLES and TEMPORAL STRUCTURE: By playing in an alternating, dialogic mode, which challenges both players • A moving instrument, as it can be seen in the next episode.

•

In the episode „moving instrument“ the patient is interested in the sound and movements of the ‚ocean drum‘. She says that the instrument makes movements she cannot do any more. I play with her, but also just listen to her playing. The epsiode is an example for how a patient needs time to come into contact with her own playing.

Results

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FIGURE 11. Episode “moving instrument”

Download video 3 Quicktime mp4 (1,1 M B) / Realplayer .rm (2,8 MB) The episode „singing“ is from the patient you saw before with the conga.

He sings freely and brave for his first time in therapy. With his voice as „material“, he is independent from motor functioning and establishes a slow and flexible tempo with rubatos. The music is enlivened by growing tension and relaxation. He seems to enjoy it and there is room for emotional expression and sense of tone in the music.

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FIGURE 12. Episode “singing�

Download video 4 Quicktime mp4 (1,8 M B) / Realplayer .rm (3 MB) For some patients it is not as naturally to sing. One idea was, to combine body movements and singing. This can be seen in the next episode.The patient was too shy for just singing, so we started to walk through the therapy room, I started to make sounds with my voice in our walking tempo, and the patients was able to join in. You see, how she moves and even starts to dance.

Results

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FIGURE 13. Episode “playing and singing”

Download video 5 Quicktime mp4 (880 kB) / Realplayer .rm (2,1 MB) Bodily experience in active music therapy is also connected with the „musical roles“ and „initiatives for changes“ as you saw it in the first episode. I´ll play it again now. Please notice the sequence after we change our mode from playing simulatenously to an alternating, dialogic one, the patient involves his body more into his playing.

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FIGURE 14. Episode “becoming playful”

Download video 6 Quicktime mp4 (892 kB) / Realplayer .rm (2,1 MB) The last episode is from the same patient; it´s out of his 10th session and shows, how he transfers his experiences from singing to his playing on a marimbaphone. His attitude and his idea about playing an instrument changed completely. He communicates with body movements and with an initiative and dynamic playing. He titled this improvisation: „Swing in my brain“.

Results

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FIGURE 15. Episode “Swing in my brain�

Download video Quicktime mp4 (1,3 M B) / Realplayer .rm (3,2 MB)

Summary To summarize, I would like to quote from the music therapy interviews, what the patients said about their music therapy experience.

Nine out of ten participants described that it was very important for them to become personally active.

All ten participants reported an immediate improvement in their wellbeing during the sessions. For eight of them this state continued till the next day and was confirmed by partners or colleagues.

Seven participants described an enhanced perception of themselves with an increasing self-confidence over the course of the therapy. They were increasingly able to let themselves be surprised by their music and by their own previously undiscovered skills.

Summary

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Music and music therapy are experienced as „something moving“ that reduces negative thoughts about the disease and offers a means of expression for feelings of security, freedom and pleasure.

References Alcock, G., Chambers, B., Christopheson, J., Heiser, D. und Groetzinger, D. (2001). Complementary and alternative therapies for Multiple Sclerosis. In J. Halper (Hrsg.), Advanced concepts in multiple sclerosis nursing care (S. 239-266). New York: Demos Medical Publishing.

Aldridge, D. und Aldridge, G. (2002). Therapeutic narrative analysis: A methodological proposal for the interpretation of music therapy traces. http://www.musictherapyworld.de/modules/mmmagazin, Ausgabe

12/

2002.

Kelly, G. A. (1955). The psychology of Personal Constructs I & II. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.

Magee, W.L. (2002). Identity in clinical music therapy: Shifting self-constructs through the therapeutic process. In R. MacDonald, D.J. Hargreaves u. D. Miell (Hrsg.), Musical Identities (S. 179-197). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Rothwell P.M., Dowell, Mc Z., Wong, C.K. und Dorman P.J. (1997).

Doctors and patients don´t agree: Cross sectional study of patients’ and doctors’ perceptions and assessments of disability in Multiple Sclerosis.

British Medical Journal 314, S. 1580-1583.

References

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Schmid, W. (2006) Maintaining dialogue - active music therapy for people living with Multiple Sclerosis. Music Therapy Today (Online) Vol.VII (1) 77.98. available at http://musictherapyworld.net

Schmidt, H.U. und Hennings, U. (1998). Gruppenmusiktherapie bei Patienten mit MS. Dokumentation des 10. Ulmer Workshops 1998. S. 7081.

Springer, A., Clark, S., Price, E. und Weldon, P. (2001). Psychosocial implications of Multiple Sclerosis. In J. Halper (Hrsg.), Advanced concepts in Mulitple Sclerosis nursing care (S. 213-237). New York: Demos Medical Publishing.

Wiens, M.E., Reimer, M.A. und Guyn, H.L. (1999). Music therapy as a treatment method for improving respiratory muscle strenght in patients with advanced Multiple Sclerosis: A pilot study. Rehabilitation Nursing 24, 2, S. 74-80.

THIS ARTICLE CAN BE CITED AS:

Schmid, W. (2006) Maintaining dialogue - active music therapy for people living with Multiple Sclerosis. Music Therapy Today (Online) Vol.VII (1) 77-98. available at http://musictherapyworld.net

References

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Music Therapy Today Vol. VII (1) (March) 2006

Connecting and learning through music: music therapy for young children with visual impairments and their families/ Kern, Petra

An Interview with Prof. Dr. Peggy Codding, Berklee College of Music

Introduction Dr. Peggy Codding is a faculty member in the Music Therapy Department at Berklee College of Music, USA. She received her doctoral train-

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ing in music education and music therapy at The Florida State University and is certified in Music Education and Special Education - Visually Impaired. Dr. Codding teaches music special education, behavioral assessment and observation and research courses at Berklee. Among her broad professional experiences in the field, she provided consultation services to music therapy clinician/music educator at the Tennessee School for the Blind. She also served on the assessment team of the Children's Diagnostic Series-Parent Training Program for the State of Tennessee. Dr. Codding published several articles on the topic visual impairment. Her chapter “Music therapy literature and clinical application for blind and severely visually impaired persons: 1940-2000” in the text, Effectiveness of Music Therapy Procedures: Documentation of Research and Clinical Practice, is a key publication for all of us working with individuals with visual impairments. In her writings, she clearly describes the value of music as an auditory and vibrotactile medium and its potentially to promote learning and development in individuals with visual impairments. Dr. Codding’s commitment to the broader community is evident in her involvement in the Board of Directors for Genuine Voices, a Boston-based organization designed to serve as enrichment for at risk children and youth, and consultant to the Boston Minstrels, an established community organization serving incarcerated, homeless, and underserved persons through meaningful music participation. While writing a music therapy curriculum for university programs preparing personnel to serve infants and toddlers with visual impairments and their families at the Early Intervention Training Center for Infants and Toddlers With Visual Impairments, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, I contacted Peggy to discuss with her latest developments in the field of music therapy and early education for individuals with visual impairments in the U.S. Some of these discussions we recorded in an interview for the interested listener. Peggy Codding’s knowledge and Introduction

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experiences certainly enriched my understanding of music therapy for infants and toddlers with visual impairments. I find her open mind, interested in evidence-based practice, and resourcefulness inspiring and encouraging. May the listener, both within and outside the field of music therapy understand the value of sound and music as the bridge to the social and physical world between infants and toddlers with visual impairments and their families and friends.

Interview Question: What impact does music have on very young children with visual impairments?

Answer: CODDING_TEXT 1.mp3; 1 MB

Question: Which developmental goals can be addressed by music therapy?

Answer: CODDING_TEXT 2.mp3; 1,1 MB

Question: How can they be achieved through music?

Answer: CODDING_ TEXT 3.mp3; 1,5 MB

Question: How are music therapy services for young children with visual impairments and their families delivered?

Interview

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Answer: CODDING_ TEXT 4.mp3; 852kb

Question: What role does music therapy play in a family-centered approach?

Answer: CODDING_TEXT 5.mp3; 1,3 MB

Question: What are some of the study outcomes?

Answer CODDING_TEXT 6.mp3; 3,4 MB

Question: What is in store for the future?

Answer: CODDING_TEXT 7.mp3; 1,9 MB

Thank you Peggy for your time and commitment to the field of music therapy and individuals with visual impairments.

References related to this topic: Bertolami, M. D., & Martino, L. A. (2002). Music therapy in a private school setting for children with handicaps who are visually impaired or blind. Voices (online), 2 (1), March 2002, available at http:// www.voices.no.

References related to this topic:

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Codding P. (1984). Music therapy for visually impaired children. In W. B. Lathom, & C. T. Eagle (Eds.), Music therapy for handicapped children. Volume I: for the hearing impaired, visually impaired, deaf-blind (pp. 43-96). Washington DC: National Association for Music Therapy.

Codding P. (2000). Music therapy literature and clinical application for blind and severely visually impaired persons: 1940-2000. In Effectiveness of Music therapy procedures: Documentation of research and clinical practice. Silverspring, MD: American Music Therapy Association, Inc. Davis, W. B., Gfeller, K. E., & Thaut, H. M. (1999). An introduction to music therapy. Theory and Practice (2nd ed). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill.

Gourney, C. (1998). Music therapy in the treatment of social isolation in visually impaired children. RE: view, 29 (4), 157-162.

Humpal, M. E. (2002). Music therapy for learners in an early childhood community interagency setting. In B. L. Wilson (Ed.), Models of music therapy interventions in school settings (2nd ed) (pp. 389-428). Silver Spring, MD: The American Music Therapy Association, Inc. Kern, P., & Wolery, M. (2002). The Sound Path: Adding music to a childcare playground. Young Exceptional Children, 5 (3), 12-20.

Kern, P., & Wolery, M. (2001). Participation of a preschooler with visual impairments on the playground: Effects of musical adaptations and staff development. Journal of Music Therapy, 38 (2), 149-164.

Lathom-Radocy. W. B. (2002). Pediatric music therapy. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas Publisher.

References related to this topic:

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Madsen, C. K., & Darrow, A. A. (1989). The relationship between music aptitude and sound conceptualization of the visually impaired. Journal of Music Therapy, 26, 71-78.

McHugh, E., & Pyfer, J. (1999). The development of rocking among children who are blind. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 93, 8295.

Palmer, R. (n.d.). Feeling the music philosophy. A new approach in understanding how people with sensory impairment perceive and interpret music. Retrieved from the Internet: September 4th, 2004. http:// www.kolumbus.fi/riitta.lahtinen/feeling.html Pitman, D. J. (1965). The musical ability of blind children. American Foundation for Blind Research Bulletin 11, 63-79.

Robb, S. R. (2003). Music interventions and group participation skills of preschoolers with visual impairments: Raising questions about music, arousal, and attention. Journal of Music Therapy, 40 (4), 266-282.

Rummel, M. (1992). Ein Bad in Vibration: Das Klavier in der Musiktherapie mit Taubblinden [A bath in vibration: The piano in music therapy with deaf-blinds]. Musiktherapeutische Umschau, 13 (2), 109-111.

Salas, J., & Gonzalez, D. (1991). Like singing with a bird: Improvisational music therapy with a blind four-year-old. In K. E. Bruscia (Ed.), Case studies in music therapy (pp. 18-27). Gilsum, NH: Barcelona Publishers.

Salomon (1998). Music therapy and the benefits to deaf and blind children, Melissa, November 23rd, 1998 Music Therapy 185. Retrieved FebReferences related to this topic:

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ruary 19, 2006 from the Internet: http://www.angelfire.com/me/ HoneyBeeHive/MT2.html/.

Standley, J. M. (2003). Music therapy with premature infants. Research and developmental interventions. Silver Spring, MD: The American Music therapy Association.

Uslan, M. M., Russell, L., & Weiner, C. (1988). A ‘musical pathway’ for spatially disoriented blind residents of a skilled nursing facility. Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness, 82 (1), 21-24.

Walker, A. R. (1985). Mental imagery and music concepts: Some evidence from the congenitally blind. Council for Research in Music Education, 85, 227-238.

About the Author Dr. Petra Kern is a member of the Music Therapy Today editorial board.

She currently is a faculty member at the School of Music, University of Windsor, Canada. This interview is an asset to the music therapy curriculum she created for the Early Intervention Center for Infants and Toddlers with Visual Impairments at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA. Petra can be contacted at PetraKern@prodigy.net.

THIS ARTICLE CAN BE CITED AS:

Kern, P. (2006) Connecting and learning through music: music therapy for young children with visual impairments and their families. Music Therapy Today (Online) Vol.VII, Issue 1, (March) 99-105. available at http://musictherapyworld.net

About the Author

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Therapeutical usefulness of music Sundar, S. Conference proceedings of the 1st International Conference, 15.

January 2006, Nada Centre for Music Therapy, Chennai, India

Introduction Sumathy Sundar President of Nada Music Therapy Centre, Chennai, India

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India has the longest history of a rich music culture and heritage and the most resourceful healing traditions like Raga – Chikitsa, Nada Yoga and Vedic recitals which places sound and music at the centre stage of healing processes.

In the global front, recent times have witnessed an increasing interest in the complex interactions of mind and body and a shift to the integrated approach of treating the person as a whole rather than merely treating the disease and this has led to the use of complementary therapies which are a vital part of any integrated approach in the health care system, moving towards a more pluralistic approach to medical research and practice, encompassing the physical, psychological, spiritual and social dimensions of a person’s life.

Introduction

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FIGURE 1. Welcome address of the President of Nada Music Therapy Centre Sumathy Sundar

Nada Centre for Music Therapy, Chennai is a tiny organization striving hard to propagate and popularise Indian healing traditions and also to examine these traditions in a scientific manner in both clinical and non clinical environs through research, publications and development of the discipline ‘Music Therapy’ with special reference to the ethno-musicology of the Indian sub continent. The Centre also strives to evolve a dependable system of music therapy to alleviate the stress of the modern day lifestyle,

Introduction

as a holistic, non invasive and cost effective treatment

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method. The aim ultimately is to develop an integrative approach to health and healing and greater levels of peace and harmony in every conceivable situation in human interactions through music.

This pioneering attempt of the Centre to convene the First International Conference on the theme ‘Therapeutic Usefulness of Music’ is to bring together experts from diverse fields of specialization like musicology, psychology, alternative medicine and medicine across the globe, with a view to disseminate their feelings, knowledge, experience and belief on the prophylactic and therapeutic application of music in general and Indian music in particular, which would pave a strong way for the future course of action that the Centre should undertake in order to bring out the beneficial role of music in the society.

Introduction

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FIGURE 2. Nada conference registration desk. (from left to right: Sudha Srinivasan, Seetha Jayakumar, Priya Chellappa and Devi Suhir)

The conference, though a modest attempt, was a huge success and an inspiring event and Nada centre profusely thanks each and every one of the participants for having shared their most valued ideas, thoughts, feelings, reactions and suggestions with the Centre for the development of this discipline. The participants had a remarkable learning experience.

Nada Centre compiled a conference handout book entitled “Souvenir 2006� containing international greeting addresses, some information on the Nada centre, further the welcome, the inaugural and the keynote addresses, the program schedule and the abstracts (See table of contents below).

Introduction

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FIGURE 3. Conference handout “Souvenir - 2006� released. (from left to right: P L Sanjeev Reddy, Ryo Takahashi and T V Sairam)

Dr. T V Sairam, a pioneering author and researcher in music therapy in India and Hon. Technical Advisor, Nada Centre for Music Therapy in his inaugural address gave a comprehensive presentation on Music Therapy: From Evangelism to Science, which gave a very good introduction and background for the participants to continue with the rest of the sessions.

Introduction

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FIGURE 4. Delegates of the conference from left to right: P K Seshadri, Kalluri Muralikrishna, P L Sanjeev Reddy, T V Sairam, Manjula Devi, Ryo Takahashi and Chandra Sankara Pavan

Dr. Ryo Takahashi, Chief Director, NCSA Centre for Gerontology, Tokyo, Japan in his key note address’ Interdisciplinary Musical Sense for Soul Development with Collaborative Learning in Gerontology through learning from Life of Leonardo da Vinci' emphasized that music will help to improve Human Soul for collaborative learning for total life and that the Soul grows by See, Observe, Understand, and Learn from human nature including sound with sense.

Other topics of interest covered by the speakers from different fields of specialization were about Indian traditional healing techniques like Nada Introduction

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Yoga, Raga-Chikitsa, voice culture, Omkar shakthi, aesthetic and sociocultural approaches to music therapy interventions having the key element of bhakthi (devotion) element in the repertoire based Indian music system etc., which provided a good background material for theorizing music therapy practice and research in India.

FIGURE 5. Nada Music Therapy Centre Book release: “Music Therapy, the sacred to profane� edited by TV Sairam (from left to right: P L Sanjeev Reddy, Ryo Takahashi and T V Sairam)

During this event, the Centre also published a book called 'Music Therapy, The Sacred, and the Profane' - edited by T V Sairam, a compilation Introduction

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of articles from renowned authors across the globe on the subject. The contributions were from experts in different specialization like music therapy, medicine, alternative medicine, musicology and psychology.

The Centre profusely thanks all the contributors for spending their time to share their knowledge generously.

The Centre is especially thankful to the experts in music therapy from different parts of the world like Dr. Carolyn Kenny, Dr. Michael Mc Guire, Dr. Suzanne Hanser, Dr. Dorit Amir and Dr. Jรถrg Fachner, who have been very supportive to the conference by sharing their ideas and suggestions electronically though could not be present physically during the conference. I also thank Musictherapytoday.com and its Editor Dr. Jรถrg Fachner for his valued suggestions and support in bringing out the proceedings in this journal and I am most pleased to share with all the readers of this journal, the proceedings of the conference and the abstracts of the papers presented during the conference.

Therapeutic Usefulness of Music T V Sairam Inaugural Address

Therapeutic Usefulness of Music

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The therapeutic usefulness of music is not a modern concept. It is as ancient as the human civilization. Long before the human species invented language and tools, the sound was the only source of relieving pain and anxiety. The sound was used not only for generating emotions (such as pathos when a tribal member is dead or joy when there is union through marriage etc.) but also for its release. Sound of drums particularly, could be used to dispel fear during the war between the tribes or during hunting animals. This was in addition to aahs and oohs of vocalization that removed inhibition due to fear or suppression by the pecking leadership. Rhythms (intervals of time) and melodies (pitch/sound vibrations per sec.) were variously used to express one's love or hatred, joy or anger, devotion or indifference. The ancient tribes used the iso-principle, matching of mood to appropriate music and entrainment, i.e., after matching initial mood moving towards more positive mood in their cultural expressions woven in and around drumming, singing and group dancing. Music not only brought in healthy behaviour and social interaction but also strength to individuals as well as to societies across the globe.

SOME RECENT SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH ON THE THERAPEUTIC USEFULNESS OF MUSIC

Researchers from the Mind-Body Wellness Center in Meadville, PA, conducted research with cancer patients that involved those playing drums.

The results showed, among other things, stronger immune systems as a result of the “music therapy.”

The article says, “It seems now more than ever the healing power of music, over body and spirit, is being put to the test.” Many of us have always felt that music could help with healing. Now science is starting to show that we are right.

The New York Academy of Sciences recently published Biological Foundations of Music, a collection of scientific research, which demonstrates, Therapeutic Usefulness of Music

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'the dynamism and richness of this emerging discipline' of music and neuroscience. The USA Weekend article talks about how music, both listening to it and playing it, can change brain function, and how our bodies respond to stimuli. Studies are showing that cancer patients, those with Alzheimer's, pain patients, and those with many other diseases, benefit from music. A study with Alzheimer's patients showed that music helped them sleep better, because their serum Melatonin level went up significantly. One of the researchers said, “for the first time, we've been able to measure music's impact.”

STRESS AND MUSIC

Particularly now, with the events like 9/11, tsunami etc. and the threats and incidences of bio-terrorism, most of us face more stress than we could handle. It is important for us to find ways to decrease our stress levels through music and imagery, which have been the time-tested remedies.

Alpha or soothing music helps towards relaxation as it lessens stress and anxiety in all sections of people, be it surgeons or those undergoing surgery. Reports coming across the world indicate that less pain is felt in the case of pediatric burn patients, abdominal surgery patients. There is also research that shows music helping to strengthen the immune system.

Therapeutic music, like music, is universal. It need not be restricted to classical or folk, jazz or baroque. Different elements in these sounds – including nature sounds – can prove therapeutic.

Using Music in ICU (After Johnston and Rohaly-Davis, 1996): 1.Assess baseline anxiety, pain etc.

2. Assess personal interest and preference

Therapeutic Usefulness of Music

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3 Ensure quiet, uninterrupted environment 4. 20 to 30 minutes BID 5. Evaluation of subjective and objective responses Allen and Lawrence Golden of the University of Buffalo have recently shown that those who listened to their choice of music during eye surgery had significantly lower heart rate, blood pressure and cardiac work load than patients who did not listen to music.

The study focused on 40 cataract or glaucoma patients ranging in age from 51-88. The patients were divided into two groups, each composed of 15 women and five men. Two participating surgeons treated half of each group.

Patients in the experimental group listened to music of their choice through headphones before, during and after surgery. Those in the control group did not listen to music at any time.

Heart rate and blood pressure of all patients shot up the morning of surgery. These measures of cardiovascular stress dropped significantly in the music group within 10 minutes of tuning in, and remained low, results showed. Only in the music group did cardiovascular measures nearly reach baseline, Allen said.

Music patients also rated the stress of surgery lower and their ability to cope higher than the control group.

“If this were a drug intervention, people would be clamoring for it,” said Allen. “Patients like it, it's cheap and effective, and has no negative side effects. Hospitals could offer it and be heroes to their patients.”

Therapeutic Usefulness of Music

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STRESS REDUCTION AND ANALGESIA IN PATIENTS EXPOSED TO CALMING MUSIC POSTOPERATIVELY:

In yet another study by Nilsson, Unosson and Rawal, seventy-five patients undergoing open hernia repair as day care surgery were randomly allocated to three groups: intra-operative music, postoperative music and silence (control group). Anesthesia and postoperative analgesia were standardized and the same surgeon performed all the operations.

Stress response was assessed during and after surgery by determining the plasma cortisol and blood glucose levels. Immune function was evaluated by studying immunoglobulin A (IgA) levels. Patients' postoperative pain, anxiety, blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR) and oxygen saturation were also studied as stress markers. The results indicated that there was a significantly greater decrease in the level of cortisol in the postoperative music group vs. the control group (206 and 72 mmol L(-1) decreases, respectively) after 2 h in the post anesthesia care unit. The postoperative music group had less anxiety and pain and required less morphine after 1 h compared with the control group. In the postoperative music group the total requirement of morphine was significantly lower than in the control group. The intra operative music group reported less pain after 1 h in the post anesthesia care unit. There was no difference in IgA, blood glucose, BP, HR and oxygen saturation between the groups. This study strongly suggested

that intra operative music may decrease postoperative pain,

and that postoperative music therapy may reduce anxiety, pain and morphine consumption.

ROLE OF IMAGERY IN ENHANCING THE THERAPEUTIC IMPULSES IN MUSIC

Imagery is an ancient healing approach in the primitive human societies, which is based on belief, hope and trust in God, which is one's own being. Imagery includes things such as one's perception of a stimulus in the absence of a stimulus. For example perceiving the taste of the lemon and then tasting it or perceiving the ice-cold water and then touching it to compare one's experience.

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Expectation of opposing experiences such as cold and hot, desert air and garden breeze, burning pain and cooling comforts through imagery provide certain flexibility which makes the mind prepared for any events.

This concept was known as yoga nidra.

Music can be proactive to imagery.

Relaxing before imagery exercise and identifying the imagery goal ('active visualization of desired outcome') before ending with the image of desired state (e.g., healed wound) could be worked out with appropriate music. Sometimes meaningful assertions like 'I am getting well' can also do wonders.

It has been found that the outcome of imagery and appropriate music could be manifold: heart rate could go up or down depending on them.

While BP could go up with fear/anger images, pain and/or anxiety before /during and after surgery were found to be considerably decreased. Performance levels of athletics are also reported to be increased with appropriate music and imagery.

More research is however needed to make music therapy a reliable, scientific discipline.

Interdisciplinary Musical Sense for SOUL Development with Collaborative Learning in Gerontology through learning from Life of Leonardo da Vinci Ryo Takahashi1

1. Chief Director at NCSA Center for Gerontology, Tokyo, Japan

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Keynote

GERONTOLOGY PRINCIPLES

Gerontology is based on the study of life and death education. Gerontology is the interdisciplinary study on aging from birth through death. This also includes the study of aging and disabilities. Human nature has an eternal progressive evolution regardless of age. Therefore it is said that the most important thing to observe is spiritual wellbeing which is related to spiritual harmony.

ABOUT THE CHAKRA-S

In a human body, there is an ether body, a body of energy, which is of a higher order than the physical body. Its shape is the same as the physical body and its color is creamy white. It’s just like portraits painted by Leonard Fujita. In the ether body, there are number of energy paths called “Nadi” or the energy channel. These Nadi-s cross or link up with the “Chakra-s” –the psycho energetic center that exists along side the central axis of the human body. Chakra-s have the meaning of “wheel” or “circle”, and they are actually swirls of Prana that circulate in different speed.

According to yoga teaching, there are seven major Chakra-s in a human body. But the Chakras taught in yoga are the ones that link up with an Interdisciplinary Musical Sense for SOUL Development with Collaborative Learning in

Sundar, S. & Sairam, T.V. (2006) Therapeutical usefulness of music - Conference proceedings of the 1st International Conference, 15. January 2006, Nada Centre for Music Therapy, Chennai, India. Music Therapy Today Vol VII, Issue 1, 106-152. available at http://musictherapyworld.net

energy channel called Susumna running through the spinal canal, and are different than those that are on the surface of the body as it is being discussed in today’s inner psychological world.

Actually, Chakra-s are divided into three systems as it is shown in the picture. Firstly, the seven Chakra-s on the Conception Vessel located on the surface of the front side of the body. Secondly, the seven Chakra-s of the nerve plexus located on the central axis that connects the crown and the root. Thirdly, the seven Chakra-s located inside the spinal canal.

Each Chakra located on the body surface, in the nerve plexus and in the spinal cord is directed in two ways –emission and absorption of Prana or energy. The colors shown in the picture stand for the emission and absorption from the body’s surface. Each two of these colors are complementary to each other. Chakra-s are often colored in spectral hues, but in reality, they may only be activated through the right colors. In each section of Chakra-s are shown the right colors.

We will take the Svadhisthana Chakra for instance to explain how to view the chart for each Chakra that you might understand easily. Its locations are described in the order of body surface, nerve plexus (for men and women) and spinal cord. The Svadhisthana Chakra on the body surface is located on acupressure points called Kangen for men and Kikai for women. The same Chakra of the nerve plexus is located in between the two seminal vesicles for men and inside the womb for women. And finally, that Chakra of spinal cord is located at the end of the tailbone.

“LUCKY SEVEN” MEANS TO ACTIVATE THE 7 CHAKRA-S

“7” means completion. For example, think about the moon, Mercury, Venus, the sun, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn –the 7 planets of Solar System.

This is the origin of the 7 tones of music, the 7 color of lights, the 7 ele-

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ments (silver, quick silver, copper, gold, iron, tin, and lead) and the seven glands of human body.

In addition to that, “refers to a live state where the vital energy is functioning properly, and “” refers to the state where the vital energy has vanished. In Christianity, there are 7 days in a week because it took 7 days to finish the creation.

As you can see, “7” is indispensable for life and the opening of “the 7 Chakra-s” mean “the Completion of one’s self”.

Hearing music will not only affect the whole body, but even the soul.

That is because each Chakra reacts to “the 7 tunes in sol-fa” and affects each other, which will make the energy expand.Since Kataoka has discovered the Moon Tempo (Extreme Tempo 116) and the release of the CD “Music to Invite the Moon”, many people have reported its effect.

This ripple spread throughout Japan, which made me realize more clearly “the importance of tempo and potential of music”. This led Kataoka’s musical desire to the unknown area.

That area is “Chakra”. It was his adoration to compose “the Music of Chakra” He had felt that if I could activate “the 7 Chakra-s” with music, that will be a contribution for the people facing conflict. He asked himself, “Is there a way that anyone can easily open up the Chakra-s? Or is it impossible with music?” Then, the answer came.

LEONARDO DA VINCI LEARNING APPROACH

Leonardo da Vinci is known as an artist in the area of creative music in addition to being famous as one of the greatest painter the world ever knew. Once a person notices a sense of feeling through harmony, an ability to “understand” through the heart will be increased without the need Interdisciplinary Musical Sense for SOUL Development with Collaborative Learning in

Sundar, S. & Sairam, T.V. (2006) Therapeutical usefulness of music - Conference proceedings of the 1st International Conference, 15. January 2006, Nada Centre for Music Therapy, Chennai, India. Music Therapy Today Vol VII, Issue 1, 106-152. available at http://musictherapyworld.net

to use any words. All people have the capacity to communicate through their feelings. We also have the ability to understand through different channels such as our talents and our intelligence. Gardner1999speaks about the following 10 principles as aspects of, and avenues for, out ability to understand: Linguistic intelligence; Logical-mathematical intelligence; Musical intelligence; Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence; Spatial intelligence; Interpersonal intelligence; Intrapersonal intelligence; Naturalist intelligence; Spiritual intelligence; and finally, Moral intelligence.

Gardner counts Natural and Spiritual Intelligence as personal intelligence and Moral Intelligence as the most spiritual one. Through applying these principles into our day to day lives we all may find that each one of us has some gifts of being we could share with others. Just as we all have gifts we are also able to understand that nobody is perfect. Each one of us has some disabilities like, for many of us, the inability to speak different languages.

HARMONY OF ARTS AND SOUND

We live with harmony throughout our lives. When we live with good tuning or feeling, our lives will be inspired. That is called HADO. According to Masaru Emoto(2005) ‘Hado’ is the intrinsic vibrational pattern at the atomic leveling all matter. The smallest unit of energy. Its basis is the energy of human consciousness.Our body is made with 70% of water so that water can be effected by visual and sound as well as human kinds.

When the one listens good and kind words, s/he feels good that will effect our daily lives.

DEATH EDUCATION

In order to begin death education there is a need for us to know ourselves; to know who we are and where we did come from, which, in this case, means what is our family lineage. We need to write down our parents’ names and their parents’ names and the great grand parents names.

It is always interesting to find out how many people could really remem-

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Sundar, S. & Sairam, T.V. (2006) Therapeutical usefulness of music - Conference proceedings of the 1st International Conference, 15. January 2006, Nada Centre for Music Therapy, Chennai, India. Music Therapy Today Vol VII, Issue 1, 106-152. available at http://musictherapyworld.net

ber your great grand parents? That is the way we start in the workshop to review our own life. Following these types of exercises, and to help us think about our life and our death we will watch the program on a video.

And then we will have the opportunity to discuss our feelings regarding our life and our death.

CONCLUSION

Music will help to improving human SOUL for collaborative learning for total life. SOUL will be grown by See, Observe, Understand, and Learning from human nature including sound with sense. Through these principles educational curriculum can be developed for all people throughout the world by approaching cafeteria curriculum. NSCA Center for Gerontology has a vision to establish Leonardo da Vinci Center for Gerontology for all over the world on April 15, 2012 for Da Vinci’s 560th annual birthday.

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Sundar, S. & Sairam, T.V. (2006) Therapeutical usefulness of music - Conference proceedings of the 1st International Conference, 15. January 2006, Nada Centre for Music Therapy, Chennai, India. Music Therapy Today Vol VII, Issue 1, 106-152. available at http://musictherapyworld.net

FIGURE 6. Nilofer Arshad presenting the delegates

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Abstracts of the papers presented during the Conference 1. MUSIC THERAPY – A REVIEW OF CURRENT EVIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES

Dr. Yamini V. Saripalli, Washington D.C. USA Abstract. Music therapy has recently been gaining increasing popularity in Western medicine. However, there are limited large scale randomized controlled trials that have been conducted in the United States. Therefore it can be difficult to have hospitals, administration and managed care to approve music therapy, alone or as an adjunct, for the treatment of disease. This paper stresses the need for more randomized, double- blinded controlled trials to increase the use of music therapy in the United States.

2. MUSIC THERAPY TO REDUCE ANXIETY ASSOCIATED WITH INTRATHECAL CHEMOTHERAPY IN CHILDREN WITH ACUTE CHILDHOOD LEUKEMIA

Smitha Vellanky, Queen’s University, Canada Abstract. Acute childhood leukemia is the most common form of cancer in young children. There are two types of acute childhood leukemia: (a) acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) – more common and peaks in children between the ages of 2 and 8; and (b) acute myelogeneous leukemia (AML) – occurs in older children (ages 12 and over). There are four stages of treatment for children with acute childhood leukemia: (i) induction (ii) intensification/consolidation (iii) maintenance (iv) relapse Intrathecal chemotherapy, involving injection of chemotherapy drugs through the spinal column into the cerebrospinal fluid, is received by all children during the course of the treatment. This procedure ensures that

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any leukemia cells that would have spread to the central nervous system are killed (CNS prophylaxis). Lumbar punctures done to administer intrathecal chemotherapy are associated with considerable amount of anxiety and distress in children owing to the pain associated with the procedure. Intrathecal chemotherapy is a stressful procedure that may not always be administered under anesthesia and hence, there is a need for reducing anxiety in children undergoing this procedure.

This study will be a single-centre, randomized, unblinded, placebo controlled study of music therapy during intrathecal chemotherapy procedure in children with acute childhood leukemia in an outpatient setting.

The study will consist of two treatment arms – live music therapy during intrathecal chemotherapy and placebo (no music therapy). Live music will be played or sung by a music therapist during intrathecal chemotherapy to children in the music therapy intervention group. Anxiety is defined as a vague feeling of uneasiness or apprehension that is directly related to fear surrounding an unfamiliar environment. Anxiety in the children will be measured using the self-administered State-Trait Anxiety Scale for Children (STAIC) which is a well-validated and widely used tool. The findings of the proposed study could indicate if live music therapy should be allowed as a standard therapeutic procedure in order to reduce anxiety in children undergoing intrathecal chemotherapy. Music Therapy is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to gain physical and emotional healing and wellness. Live music, with improvisations within the context of the moment, may be particularly crucial for young children who relate best to songs that can be made relevant to their immediate experience. It can provide a familiar auditory environment thus, distracting the child’s attention from any pain or anxiety. However, there have been virtually no studies done regarding anxiety in leukemic children undergoing intrathecal chemotherapy or on the

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effect of live music therapy on anxiety in children with acute childhood leukemia. Currently, there are no standardized anxiety-reducing techniques being applied to ease the stress associated with the procedure indicating the need for an evidence-based study of the same.

3. MUSIC THERAPY DURING DENTAL PROCEDURES

Dr. Padmapriya, Abudhabi, UAE Abstract. Music Therapy for specific medical reasons have been well documented and researched all over the world and diverse research results of music therapy during dental procedures which are time consuming and also which needs patients’ cooperation has also been comprehensively meta-analysed. This paper is an attempt to verify through physiological, self report and behaviourally observed measures, the benefits of simple music therapy sessions by exposition method during dental procedures in a dental clinic at Abudabi by the author. Three case studies involving treatment variables like pain and anxiety before procedures have been taken into consideration for administration of music therapy sessions. Pre and post music session assessment forms used for documentation and video recordings of the therapy sessions during dental procedures are also presented which indicates the benefits of music therapy sessions during dental procedures.

4. A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS ON THE DEFINITIONS OF MUSIC THERAPY

Darshanan S., Department of Music, University of Jaffna, Sri Lanka.

Abstract. Music is an accepted universal art of linguistic expression, irrespective of limitations like nation, race, religion, and language. Musical compositions may be in different languages with distinctive motivations towards devotion, love, nature, beauty, peace and inner awareness.

However, any kind of music should have the quality of pleasing the ear.

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Apart from using music for entertainment, applying music for therapeutic purpose gives a different value for music.

There are lot of definitions given to music therapy by the worldwide researchers of music and related areas according to their understandings.

This research analyses those different definitions and tries to find out the most appropriate one. Time limitations have restricted this study to taking into account twenty definitions from the internet resources by the researchers of Scandinavia and Britain.

At the end of discussion the following definition to music therapy has been obtained as the most appropriate. “Music therapy is the use of music as medicine�

5. APPROACH TO MUSIC THERAPY INTERVENTION

Sumathy Sundar Ph.D. research scholar in Clinical Music therapy with University of Madras.

President, Nada Centre for Music Therapy, Chennai, India Abstract.. Music Therapy is both the art of music and the science of healing, working in tandem. It involves techniques and interpretations, bridging the gap between arts and science, towards a balanced approach.

It is an application of broad range of music with procedures, protocols, techniques or methods adopted for application in clinical set ups. Music therapy is based both in culture and context and music therapy interventions involve assessment of various factors before treatment planning.

Benefit of music therapy depends on determining the patient’s music preference and necessitates a music therapist to develop an efficient means of determining such preference. Factors like musical upbringing, cultural background, personality, musical training and musical taste in Abstracts of the papers presented during the Conference

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family lineage influence musical preferences, music listening pattern and musical selection which are vital with regard to music therapy. Based on these factors, it becomes important to adopt appropriate approaches to be tried to achieve the desired goals.

This paper discusses two different approaches like 1.

2.

The raga-based aesthetic and analytical approach and The genre-based socio-cultural approach in detail.

Demonstrations on these approaches with raga-s (emphasis on specific notes, the intervals between them, the different embellishments in use) and songs with the same raga base in different genre are included in the presentation.

6. RAGA - CHIKITSA IN CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES

Dr. Suvarna Nalapat, Head and Professor, Department of Pathology (Retd), Amritha Institute of Medical Sciences, Ernakulam

Abstract.

OBJECTIVE: To study effects of Indian classical music in reducing tension, anxiety, stress, blood pressure and pain (modifiable factors of heart disease1) Music can be used in therapy and as therapy2. The current project explored both the possibilities giving stress to the use of music as therapy in a hospital set up. Music in therapy establishes contact and facilitates rapport between patients and caretakers. The music is the opening wedge between two individuals, 3 here the therapist and patient.

The modifying factors of coronary artery disease and the role of music in altering them so that it can be used both as preventive and curative tool in heart disease was studied.

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INTRODUCTION: In music as therapy, therapist is not concerned with the aesthetics of music but with functional music which gives relief or cures the patient. We used both to get maximum effects and yet in this pilot project we are presenting our experience of music as therapy (the results measured from a medical point of view rather than from musical point of view.)It is not just an alternative therapy, but therapy itself.

We selected the voice and personality of the musician and therapist in our institution so that we get maximum results. Our statistically proven study shows the impact of music on prevention of heart diseases which is prevalent in our country.

METHOD OF STUDY: We had our therapeutic programme with a team of people, including a specially trained musician with postdoctoral experience in music teaching, an indologist-pathologist with interdisciplinary

knowledge in Yoga, music, Ayurveda, Jyothisha and literature, a

clinical psychologist and physicians well versed in doing research on human behaviour and psychology and on pain and palliative care.

1.

The questionnaire.(sample) To be filled in by patient, physician and music therapist separately.

The therapist assesses musical background and musical preferences of the patient independently.

As first step, simple and common raga-s according to musical background and preference of patient given. We gave human voice, with least instruments, except a thambura and an organ playing soft sounds like that of chirping birds and gurgling streams at the beginning of the first session. The members were given the music in different settings.

1. in closed AC room without disturbance.

2. room where outside disturbances like phone, automobiles etc. were there.

3. study with same music in open ground in public meeting place, conducted with unknown people, (not volunteers or patients) 4. music to patients with cancer chemotherapy, pain of different organs, spastic children, pregnant females etc.(outside the control voluntary patients)

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2.

The second step was to give specific raga-s for each patient depending upon their chakra (organ affected) and the cosmic energy field (birth star).

The BP, respiratory and pulse rate, anxiety scale (Hamilton’s) and pain index assessed prior and after session.

Charts-1.

1.

2.

3.

4.

Raga preferences Voice preferences Voices selected Instructions given

OBSERVATIONS 1.

2.

The subjective factor-written feedback.

The objective factor

BP and respiratory rate and pulse rate before, after 15 minutes of playing music and after the test and the Hamilton’s anxiety score and pain score Tables, statistics and discussion.

• Academic principles behind selection of voice • Difference from other studies •

CONCLUSIONS (will be presented along with power point presentation to substantiate the points.)

7.BASIC SCIENCE RESEARCH APPLICATIONS IN WESTERN MODELS OF MUSIC THERAPY

Mohan D. Sundararaj MBBS, BMus, MT-BC, ATCL Board-Certified Music Therapist (USA) Resident House-Surgeon - Sri Ramachandra Medical College & Research Institute, Chennai, India Official Representative (Near & Middle East Countries), WFMT Council

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Abstract. Basic science research entails the speculation of biological and chemical processes that underlie specific physiologic and pathophysiological functions. These may include the role of specific pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions, and the nature of their impact on the human body. Music therapy as an established allied health care profession came into existence in the United States during the 20th century succeeding the inculcation of educational and clinical programmes, research and most importantly a certification process to address the issue of accountability. The origins of music therapy prior to this period were apparent only in traditional practices and clinical models in hospitals during the post-war era. Over the last twenty years, biomedical investigations have taken a significant place in music medicine research thereby improving our understanding of how music therapy impacts the human condition at a cellular and molecular level. These in-depth evaluations are necessary to add further credibility to the profession of music therapy and to sufficiently integrate this complementary intervention with mainstream medicine. Such collaboration leads to an effective practice of ‘Integrative Medicine’. This paper identifies the need for basic science research in music therapy to corroborate its role in health care thus advancing our strategies towards evidence-based methods. Basic science research is essential for progress, vital to the evolution of music therapy and will ultimately lead to better patient care.

8. RHYTHM AS VITALISING TONIC

Dr. Lalitha Ramakrishna Research Director, Tattvaloka, Chennai Abstract. Rhythm is called laya and tala in Indian music. It has profound mythical origins. Nataraja the lord of dance creates the universe with rhythmic syllables that flow out of the drum that he holds in his right hand. The order that is seen in the regular patterns of the seasons, of Abstracts of the papers presented during the Conference

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birth, growth and death, of the respiration in all living beings, the patterns of the galaxies and the order within the nucleus of the atoms – all point to the significance of rhythm in human life and our environment. In a puzzling paradox, Lord Nataraja who begins creation with his rhythmic dance is also the Lord of destruction when he performs the Tandava dance there is total upheaval and destruction and the cosmos becomes extinct. This gives us the message that rhythm can destroy. The power of regular rhythmic beats with its stress and silence intervals must be recognised and then used for its curative value.

In the classical system, laya is the father and melody is the mother of all music. This means that laya confers life and energy; it creates enthusiasm. The symbol of father is one of authority.It suggests affirmative masculine qualities. This is needed today when there are more lonely people, more rootless people, who need the support of a father figure.

In classical music laya and tala are not culture specific and thus transcend national boundaries. Rhythms can be enjoyed and used by even those who do not understand classical music.

Rhythm apart from curing diseases such as depression and autism can make normal people sharper in their faculties. Rhythm is based on numbers and mathematics. A great deal of calculation and skill is necessary to perform the complex tala-s of Indian classical music. This helps to enhance the memory and reflexes of the performer and the audience who keep the rhythm along with him.

In folk music, rhythm is more dominant than melody. All early tribal societies explored rhythm. Chanting brought about altered conditions of mind in the group and made them amenable to discipline. Rhythmic songs brought individuals together during festivals and strengthened

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community bonds. Rhythm helped to relieve monotonous and unpleasant tasks that were a necessary part of tribal living. As recreation, simple repetitive group songs gave a ‘high’ and brought in cheer without the dependence on liqueur or drugs.

Rhythm is a powerful aid in the cure of modern maladies especially those of the psychosomatic type.

9. TIGER DANCE - A THERAPEUTIC TREASURE - HOLISTIC APPLICATIONS FOR TRADITIONAL ARTS OF INDIA

T.Saraswathi Devi Lebenshilfe, A.P. India Abstract. Tiger Dance Therapy is a new conception and a therapeutic innovation developed to drive the people with intellectual disabilities having aberrant and other behaviour disorders towards overall development.

The idea of Tiger Dance Therapy is to translate the irregular body movements of the mentally handicapped into meaningful gestures, tuning to the tiger hunt jumps with rhythmic drum beats.

The innovative adaptation of Tiger Dance or Puli Vesham, a folk form of art of Andhra Pradesh by T. Saraswathi Devi and her efforts in using tiger dance technique utilizing the drum-beat will create a sense of interest in the delegates.

Author Saraswathi Devi, founder of Lebenshilfe in India will discuss the origin and applications of this therapy, its psychological, physiological, and social benefits, and highlight future possibilities regarding the adaptation of traditional Indian arts as holistic therapy in her paper presentation.

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It is a low-cost training technique leading to a total Body-Mind application, bringing amazing results. Through rhythmic drum-beat which improves hearing skills and sense of reasoning. Children with irregular movements, jerky gait, and poor walking balance learn to match their body movements suitable to the drum- beats as per the commands of the brain thus leading to motor skills development. It provides a provision for a lot of foot, neck and shoulder work, closer to some yoga postures all go by sounds of the drums.

The author’s endeavors to teach the expressions skills such as anger, aggression, love, affection, happiness, joy etc. to the retarded by encouraging them to imitate the tiger cubs play and the movements of the tigers and tigresses following the sounds are shown in this paper.

Tiger Dance is proved to be an effective therapy to help children gain emotional control, acting as an outlet for accumulated aggression, tension, stress and other such feelings.

The success of Tiger Dance Therapy has captured the attention of mental health professionals throughout the world: Papers presented on Tiger Dance Therapy at several international conferences in India, Australia, Finland, and Germany caught the attention of experts in the field drawing their attention towards looking into possibilities of Tiger Dance as a research project.

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FIGURE 7. Demonstration of the Tiger Dance by T.S. Devi

10. HEALING POWERS OF INDIAN MUSIC THERAPY: A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE.

Dr. Harre Harren, Pondicherry Abstract. The practice of Indian Music Therapy in the nations of other World by Dr.M.Harre Harren, the music therapist and healer from India.

His visits to various countries like USA, Japan, Australia, Singapore, Europe has been very noticeable and more than 160 people have benefited from his Music Therapy. The methodology used for healing people has been very systematic and at a slow pace with the result several people have found unimaginable changes in their health care and life style.

Many clients who were otherwise depressed and daunted by personal problems have come out of their trauma and are free today from their life

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ending situations. They are now living happily making use of Indian Music Therapy.

Dr.M.Harre Harren, an accredited Music Therapist who has attended more than six International Conferences in Music Therapy and Music Education in South Korea, USA, Japan, Singapore, Australia will talk about his experiences with his clients on the various situations of using Indian Music therapy for healing and rejuvenation.”

11. STRESS MANAGEMENT USING INDIAN CLASSICAL MUSIC

Mr. Jaydeep Chakraborty, Kolkata Abstract. The effects of anxiety and stress on human behaviour have been widely recognized. Music also taps into our neural machinery and places music therapy squarely into the realm of science. The approach describes a non-invasive method of applying Indian Classical music for reducing stress. This approach differs from the Music Therapy as it attempts to reduce stress in a proactive manner using Indian Classical Music and has the following steps • Identify • • • •

the various causes and situation of stress and effects on the human brain Identify the “Raga-s” and the corresponding “Rasa-s” that they produce Identify the “Rasa-s” as defined in the Natya Shastra and study them for similar effects on the brain Check if the “Rasa” can counteract the causes of stress as outlined in Step 1.

Derive a relationship of Ragas and Situations for Proactive Stress Management.

In the IT sector where we work with tight schedules and work to be completed within stiff deadlines, a certain amount of good stress (Eustress) may be generated. However one may land up into the situation of a breaking point where the stress becomes a distress. This may manifest in the form of head jamming. Another stress factor also noted is a sense of Abstracts of the papers presented during the Conference

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insecurity causing anxiety neurosis and finally leading to chronic anxiety state. Hence this approach could be beneficial for the IT industry. Also besides opening doors for research on Indian Classical Music, benefits to the society are also perceived in rendering acceptable mode of treatment.

12. MUSIC THERAPY IN PALLIATIVE CARE

Dr. V Srinivasan, MDRT, Radiation Oncologist, Kamakshi Memorial Hospital, Chennai Abstract. This paper is an eye opener to the use of music therapy in palliative Care. Palliative care extends beyond meeting the medical and nursing needs of terminally ill patients by addressing not only their physical, but also the psychological, social and spiritual needs and music therapy has the ability to address each of these needs. It is well documented that music therapy is beneficial for palliative care patients and their families and complements the primary goal of palliative care in addressing the quality of life issues for cancer patients and their families. This paper discusses about how music therapy promotes comfort, soothes and energizes the patients, helps in pain management, stimulates the expression of thoughts and feelings and provides sensory stimulation and diminishes pain.

13. MUSIC’S INHERENT THERAPY POWER.

Mr. Kalluri Muralikrishna, Hyderabad Abstract. This paper discusses about music’s inherent therapy power, how it is generated and works. Swara-s – Frequencies – Harmonics – Symmetrical resultants. Also how human body controls curing of various diseases and how music helps the human body in this. Raga-s –Classification – Sampoorna, Audava, Shadava and Vakra raga-s and their different actions. Raga as Medicine, raga-s for various diseases and ailments.

Implementation and practice of music therapy, the systematic and intu-

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itional processes, group therapies, the future of music therapy whether as alternate therapy or self acting or complementary, experimental results and statistics are elucidated.

15. TEVARA TRINITY: PIONEERS OF MUSIC THERAPY

Dr. T Kalaivani, Avinashilingam University,Lecturer(SS) in Music, Coimbatore – 641043 Prof. S Tamilvelu, Department of Tamil, AVC College, (Autonomous) Mayiladuthurai 609 305 Abstract. Art of Music is the foremost and important art among the 64 arts. From the very beginning, musical art served as a treasure of people’s culture, civilization, humanism and other features of life.

Music served as a medium to spread religious doctrines, to evoke thirst for freedom and to teach good and evil things in life. It was a part of every movement of human activity and was used as medicine to cure diseases of people.

The Trinity of Tevara glorified god through their songs and also achieved some miracles in their life with the help of music They have cured diseases of people by way of their songs called ‘pans’.

This paper makes a comparative study of the songs used by the Trinity to cure diseases and the respective ragas of the modern times.

As a result of this study, the researcher concludes that the Trinity of Tevara were pioneers in making use of the ragas as a remedy for several ailments.

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15. MUSIC – PANACEA FOR THE ELDERLY

Munmun Ghosh, Mumbai Abstract. In her late 50s, Rangamani Surenkumar, engaged in the care of her twin grand daughters, hums almost all day long. Having gone back to Karnatak classical music with a vengeance and enrolled as a student of the same, she claims nothing calms her like music. Likewise, septaagenarian Mr. T. Bhatia locates great joy and peace in the cooling waters of Rabindra Sangeet. 67-year-old Kamala Ghosh is listening to music more than ever before, in her expanded leisure hours. Even whilst cooking, she prefers to listen to bhajans as she believes this helps her to progress spiritually. For Mrs. Sahur, singing bhajans every evening at the local Sai Baba temple is the most potent multivitamin that she can take and that keeps her healthy and anchored. Music, an ineluctable part of our lives at every stage, assumes a larger role in our mature years, evolving into an effective, painless, inexpensive therapy.

For what is music? In a broader sense, music is any pattern, in a more limited sense, it is any sound-pattern that pleases us, and as opposed to noise that offends our senses. Penetrating our systems through our sense of hearing, music affects our entire being and fills every pore of it like fragrance fills a room. The body recognises music, as much as the mind, and responds to it instinctively. Music can stimulate, provoke, arouse our passions, energise and also soothe and relax us completely. Not surprising then that every community in the world has evolved different kinds of music just as it has evolved different languages and art forms. India being a pluralistic society has thrown up an almost bewildering variety of musical forms in folk, classical, vocal, instrumental, and dance categories.

The word ‘music’ comprises vocal, instrumental and dance forms.

As we grow older, our musical preferences modify in tune with our bodies, our situations and mind-sets. It has been noticed that as elders, we

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tend to go back to the kind of music we grew up listening to, even if we had rejected it in our youth and sought exposure to other forms of music.

The mature mind seeks the comfort of the familiar and is inclined to reject newer, emerging forms of music. (This is a point I would like to explore in detail in my paper.)

In India, the elderly generally turn to the rich repertoire of devotional songs and classical music that we have inherited from our forefathers.

Both the Karnatak and Hindusthani classical musical schools had their origins in temples and worship and are thus spiritual in flavour and content. Of course, good, devotional music impacts the body positively. As doctors acknowledge today, stress has a 50 per cent hand in the onset of any ailment, for accumulated stress debilitates our immune system that is otherwise geared to stave off diseases. In the elderly body, challenged by age, stress can trigger off a number of problems like high blood pressure and hypertension. Music helps by evening down our breathing; deep breathing allows proper oxygenation of the entire body and revitalises it.

What is more important, to the mature mind – often contemplating issues like our eventual passage from this world, the shedding of the body and going back to the earth — devotional music provides a way of accepting and merging with the universe. For to pray is to connect with the whole, the universe (the sun, stars, rivers, sea, all humanity, all nature) and shed the ego (our consciousness of separateness). Prayer is the individual soul stretching itself and embracing the universe in its desire for completeness. In the act of prayer, the worshipper feels connected, complete, and hence joyous; in prayer, we lose ourselves. And music serves as the medium to achieve that loss. Whether it was Osho Rajneesh who propagated dance as the way to achieve that loss or Vivekananda who encouraged the regular singing of bhajans in his ashram, music has been Abstracts of the papers presented during the Conference

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recognised and practiced as a form of worship down the ages. It helps the mature mind to retain its poise, ease and cheerfulness.

17. NADA YOGA AND VOICE CULTURE

Mrs. Kala Ramesh, Pune Abstract.

We talk of ‘voice culture’ What exactly do we mean by that?

A good voice, refined, tuned to shruti.

And lack of voice culture means a rough, untrained, off–key voice?

Yes partly true.

But actually, what I mean by voice culture is something more.

Voice culture means ‘protection’ for the voice against the ravages of time. Protection against lets say - deterioration of voice due to over usage, bad diet, exposure to extremities of climate and indiscriminate use of medicines.

We are all aware that Tansen was supposed to have sung in the open dais surrounded by a water moat and was heard for great distances. Would that have been possible without some type of technique for the preservation of the voice?

We do hear about the vulnerability of the sports personalities/ fraternity who repeatedly get medical treatment and rest because of constant injury to certain parts of their body. If we go by that logic, then it is but natural that the vocal cords can get strained during singing. And believe me ‘singing’ means many hours of sadhana spanning several years.

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Then the logical question, can we have a voice without fatigue?

A voice that stays as fresh to day as it was say ten or fifteen years back?

So that, as the music ripens with age, the voice mellows with richness, retaining its entire luster and beginning to sparkle like a well cut diamond!

The need of the hour is becoming aware and knowing what voice culture is all about and then practicing it meticulously everyday, which then takes us closer to nada yoga.

Dr Karandikar [an M.D.in Cardiology] of Ahmednagar near Pune has worked extensively in this field. Being a performing musician, he was tormented with the lack of anything constructive, concrete in the name of voice culture. He studied all the voice techniques of Western classical music but found that they pertained more to western type of voice production.

During the course of his search he found that Sant Dnyaneshwari [A Marathi Saint who translated The Gita into Marathi at the age of 13] had a whole chapter on the mahima of The AUM. Dr. Karandikar based his Omkar Shakti completely on the firm belief that the Omkar dwani being the first ever primordial nad that permeated through the cosmos is best suited for purification of the voice, the mind and the body.

His systematic teaching covers wide areas covering the nad and anu- nad.

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Thus, the whole package comes with forty different types of omkar-s along with proper breathing, position of the mouth, the throat, the stomach and the abdomen.

I will be demonstrating several of the omkar-s, with their benefits explained.

And how a well tuned and polished voice aids the singing voice and how it acts as a balm for the soul, for the singer as well as to the listener.

18. NADA YOGA: THE CONSCIOUS VIBRATION

Mr. Chandra Sankara Pavan, Pune Abstract.

Nada Yoga - The Conscious Vibration Nada forms the basis for the emergence of the universe. The root word Nad is to vibrate and the vibrations are the manifestation of all pervading cosmic power. Every atom, molecule in the universe is in incessant vibrational activity and the interblending activities of these vibrations produce the vast diversity of the universe around us. We can classify these vibrations into three types i....... the inner casual movements that are expressed through bodies ii.......the vibrations that manifest on the astral , emotional and psychological levels iii......the vibrations of intellectual level.

Nada is the manifested sound form of the soundless sound, the Supreme Consciousness, where from, emerges the Paranada that creates the universe. From Paranada the Nadanadisakti, the energy current of sound emerges and heard through the pulsing nerve system.

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During deep meditation, the yogi hears the musical sounds of nada taking the form of sounds such as bells, conch, flute etc and deep contemplation on these sounds leads one to the Supreme consciousness Nada forms the basis for music and music is considered as therapy both for mental and physical ailments. The sound vibrations can influence the DNA structure and can be reprogrammed by the words and frequencies.

Music consists of systematic vibrations that can change the ill structure of DNA and can be used as an effective therapy.

The whole universe is filled with sound vibrations and the sound vibrations remain forever in space and they can be grasped only by the nada yogis who are able to unite their consciousness with the Supreme. The great seers of past formulated the Vedas by hearing the eternal sound vibrations that exists in the cosmos.

This paper presents the Theory of Nada, its four stages, and how it forms the basis for music, the theory of vibrations and the therapeutic aspects of sounds, particularly music 19. THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS OF MUSIC

Ms. Jyoti Dass and Dr. Lovely Sharma, Agra Abstract. Music is both an art and science since it deals with the expression of one’s feelings and emotions through sound in melody and harmony, may be through its composition. On the systematic management of sound at all levels in the universe, music is the oldest form of expression, older than language.

Music has frequently been used as a therapeutic agent since ancient times.

The therapeutic values of music have been recognized and

employed from a very early stage in the history of mankind and medicine. Music is a unique way of expressing feelings and thoughts. It is Abstracts of the papers presented during the Conference

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because of this power of fine expression of inner feelings in a natural manner, music is considered as an important medium of therapy as any other discipline of therapy.

EFFECT OF MUSIC General effects, Physiological effects, physical effects, effect on animals, effect on plants and effect on mental patients.

EFFECT OF INDIAN RAGAS The scientific field of music therapy is still an unexplored area in India.

A number of successful experiments have been made to assess the effect of raga-s on human beings by playing particular combinations of sound and also particular raga-s. Health cure with the help of classical raga with their specific emotional sentiment has also been experimented.

Raga Ragini-s can be successfully used for the treatment of various diseases. But there is a need to train good musicians and medical professionals to become experts in this therapy .

Six primary ragas which have particular qualities, sentiments and moos are discussed.

1. Raga Hindol: The effect of this raga is to create all the sweetness and freshnessof the spring season in mind of the listener.

2. Raga Shri: This raga acts on the mind and produces the effect of calmness and silence while approaching the evening and darkness.

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3. Raga Megh Malhar: The quality of this raga is to produce the effect of approaching thunderstorm and rain. This raga has also been found to have the power of influencing clouds in times of drought.

4.Raga deepak: This raga is said to be related to fire which can destroy the trees and animals.

5.Raga Bhairav: This raga is to inspire the mind of the listener with the feeling of approaching dawn, humming insects and chirping of bird and the start of morning.

6.Raga Kaushik: The effect of this raga on the listener is known to be grave and screen.

TABLE 1. RESPONSE OF THE INDIAN RAGAS Raga

Responses

Puriya Dhanashri

Physically tired,

Neelambari

Sleep, relaxation

Kasi

Pleasantness, Romance

Hansdhwani

Exhilaration

Madhyamavati

Aesthetic sense

CONCLUSION:

Music therapy has no side effects and can be safely used as a therapy 20. PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF MUSIC

Ms. Madhulika Srivatsav and Dr. Lovely Sharma, Agra Abstract. Among the psychological effects of music, the most pronounced ones are on the behaviour & temperament of the individual.

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Emotions, feelings and thoughts have been reported to be greatly influenced by music listening or participates. Emotional experience divided from music has a powerful effect on the formation of one’s moral and intellectual outlook. Music activities enhance imagination & creative thinking. Music has a great ability to inspire and enthuse the listener and the performer.

Cyril Burt (1969) has suggested that the capacities of mentally handicapped children in musical abilities are good as that of the average children of the same age. Further, music education has been employed as a means of improving the academic achievement of mentally handicapped children so that they feel themselves as part of the society.

Slac (1970) studied the effect of music psychology on slow learners, pupils and found that music had positive psychological effects in the normalization of their pent up emotions & developed their abilities to the full.

Psychology plays an important role in the all round development of personality of an individual right from infancy. It helps a child to learn through movement by singing and dancing together & by exposure to natural environment to participant in the joy of sensing colours, forms and rhythms. Music develops aesthetics values and provides opportunities in understanding India’s cultural heritage.

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Tables of content TABLE 2. Table of contents “Music Therapy - the sacred and the profane” edited by T V Sairam Title

Author

Acknowledgements

Sumathy Sundar

Preface

T.V. Sairam

Music Therapy, the Sacred, and the Profane

Carolyn Kenny.

1

The Therapeutic Value of Musical Elements and Instruments in Western Music Psychotherapy

Dorit Amir

4

Research Methodology for Music Therapy

Shipra Banerjee

10

Music Therapy and the use of Altered States in Healing Rituals

Fachner, Jorg

19

Music that heals the Mind and the Body

Premeela Gurumoorthy

24

Acceptance of Music Therapy as Integrative Medicine: Progress in the United States of America

Suzanne B. Hanser

28

The Specifics of Using Simple Instruments in sessions of Group Music Therapy for Depression

Mariya A. Ivannikova

31

Drumming as Music Therapy

Kiran Puri

38

Competent Music Therapy in the United States

Michael G. McGuire

41

Raga-Chikitsa: A Treatment with Music

Suvarna Nalapat

49

NadanusandanaYoga

Chandra Pavan Sankara

56

Healing Quality of Musical Notes

Lalitha Ramakrishna

66

Music Therapy: An Evidence-based Approach

R Ravi Kannan

70

Music Therapy : Designing Training Methods for the Mentally Retarded (MR) Children

T.V. Sairam

74

Music Procedures and their Impact on Emotional Health

Seema Puri

79

Medical Music Therapy: The Florida State University’s Evidence-Based Clinical Program

Jayne M. Standley.

81

Music as Therapy: Its Role as a Cognitive, Motor and Behavioural Modulator

N. Subbulakshmy

87

Music therapy in India: General Guidelines on Musical Preferences and Approaches for Musical Selection

Sumathy Sundar

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Tables of content

Page

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TABLE 3. Table of contents Souvenier - 2006 Title Welcome Message from Dr. Michael G McGuire, Chairman of the Board of Directors, CBMT. US.

Page 1

Greetings and Congratulatory Message from Dr. Carolyn Kenny, Co Editor, Voices:A World forum for Music Therapy

3

Greetings and Message from Dr. Suzanne Hanser, Immediate Past President, World Federation of Music Therapy.

5

Message to Delegates - Dr. Dorit Amir, Head of MT Program,Bar Ilan University, Israel

7

Greetings from Dr. Jorg Fachner, Editor, E journal, musictherapytoday.com, Managing Editor, Info site musictherapworld.net

9

Welcome Address by Sumathy Sundar, President, Nada Centre for Music Therapy, Chennai, India

12

Nada Centre for Music Therapy: Aims and Objectives

14

List of Members - Advisory Board of Nada Centre for Music Therapy

16

Conference - Programme Schedule

17

Music Therapy: From Evangelism to Science Inaugural Address by Dr. T V Sairam, Hon. Technical Advisor, Nada Centre for Music Therapy, Chennai.

20

Interdisciplinary Musical Sense for Soul Development with Collaborative Learning in Gerontology thro Learning from Life of Leonardo Da Vinci.

Synopsis of Key Note Address by Dr.Ryo Takahashi, Chief Director at NCSA Centre for Gerontology, Tokyo, Japan.

24

Abstracts of the papers presented during the Conference

27

Can an Integration of Different Music Cultures be useful for Music Therapy? A Little Story about Indian Ragas by Mariya A Ivannikova,

44

Contact and order information Sumathy Sundar

Contact and order information

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Nada Centre for Music Therapy, Plot No.11/25 Jothi Ramalingam Street, Madipakkam, Chennai 600 091, India sumusundar@yahoo.com http://www.nada.in THIS ARTICLE CAN BE CITED AS:

Sundar, S. & Sairam, T.V. (2006) Therapeutical usefulness of music Conference proceedings of the 1st International Conference, 15. January 2006, Nada Centre for Music Therapy, Chennai, India. Music Therapy Today Vol VII, Issue 1, 106-152. available at http://musictherapyworld.net

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Book review: Silke Jochims (Ed.): Musiktherapie in der Neurorehabilitation (music therapy in neurological rehabilitation) Schmid, W.

Music therapy in neurological rehabilitation is often seen as a miraculous cure for severely affected patients, which may raise irrational hopes but can also mean a very real chance.

In her book „Musiktherapie in der Neurorehabilitation – Internationale Konzepte, Forschung und Praxis“ (Music therapy in neurological rehabilitation – international concepts, research and practice) Silke Jochims has compiled articles on current research in neuro sciences and on international music therapy research projects and intervention approaches.

This combination is intended to provide a more substantial foundation for music therapy in neuro rehabilitation without destroying the myth of a miraculous cure. The book addresses music therapists as well as physicians, therapists and nursing staff in neuro rehabilitation. The comprehensive work has two sections: the first volume (entitled „Grundlagen“ or fundamentals) describes neurological syndromes and presents up-todate findings from neuro science on perception and processing of music in healthy and brain-damaged humans. The reader feels that what music 153

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therapy has been generating and practising in neuro rehabilitation on the basis of experience for 20 years is now corroborated from the perspective of neuro science. Studies by Kotchoubey et al. on the efficiency of simple and complex auditory stimuli suggest, for example, that complex sounds offered by the human voice stimulate event-correlated responses in severely brain-damaged patients far more often than acoustic stimuli in the form of simple sinus notes. Music therapists associate such findings with the concept of singing for coma patients; readers may find many such connections without getting the impression that music therapy has to be legitimized by neuro science.

The second volume („Musiktherapiekonzepte: Forschung und klinische Praxis“ – music therapy concepts: research and clinical practice) presents 20 approaches from music therapy research and practice with adult patients as a wide range of applications of music therapy in neurological rehabilitation. Articles from Europe, U.S. and Australia cover issues from a variety of related aspects - motor, sensory, cognitive, interactive-communicative, social and emotional rehabilitation, and thus form something like a work of reference according to topics. All chapters are of practical relevance and and well-grounded and provide differentiated insights in music therapy concepts and research. Examples are musical-rhythmic work with Parkinson patients, a vocal exercise programme with patients with traumatic brain injuries, or an improvisation group to promote social interaction in stroke patients. Valuable suggestions and ideas provided in these chapters make the book worthwhile for beginners and experienced music therapists alike. Frequent questions emerging in practice, for example the use of earphones for patients in persistent vegetative state, or which condition of life is worth living or not, are critically discussed here. Highly impressive are those chapters that address the limits of music therapy due to the severity or hopeless prognosis of neurological

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disease. An authentic integration of the discipline within the therapeutic context of neurological rehabilitation requires exactly this kind of thorough and unbiased exploration.

A summary of the practice chapters underlines in addition that the national and international debate about the „one correct“ music therapy approach in neuro rehabilitation does not serve the interests of patients who are often affected in all aspects of their existence. This is why many different types of music therapy concepts are applied in clinical practice, depending on individual symptoms and stage of rehabilitation: active and receptive, exercise or experience oriented, individual and group therapy, as well as interdisciplinary cooperation with, for example, speech therapists. This great variety and flexibility is a specific asset in music therapy and must be underlined as such to insurers, physicians, therapists and relatives. Silke Jochim’s book is a valuable contribution. She provides a platform for understandings gained from music therapy experience and scientific findings from neuro physiology and neuro biology and offers interdisciplinary insights that will support the work of music therapists in rehabilitation clinics. The gap between „miraculous cure“ and recognized therapy in neurological rehabilitation has clearly narrowed.

After „ZwischenWelten – Musiktherapie bei Patienten mit erworbenen Hirnschäden“ by Monika Baumann and Christian Gresssner, and „Music Therapy and Neurological Rehabilitation“ by David Aldridge, Silke Jochims has presented another book on music therapy in neurological rehabilitation that will make an essential contribution to sharpening the profile of the discipline.

PUBLISHERS HOMEPAGE:

http://www.hippocampus.de

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THIS ARTICLE CAN BE CITED AS:

Schmid, W. (2006) Book review: Silke Jochims (Ed.): Musiktherapie in der Neurorehabilitation (music therapy in neurological rehabilitation).

Music Therapy Today (Online) Vol.VII (1), (March) 153-156. available at http://musictherapyworld.net

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Odds and ends - themes and trends Tom Doch

Experimental neurophysiology Souce:

<http://www.neuroinformatik.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/thbio/group/

neurophys/index_d.html> The Experimental Neurophysiology group represents the scientific culture of functional, integrative and cognitive neuroscience in the lab. The main focus of the group is neuronal plasticity, learning and aging. In particular, we are interested in understanding the relation between perceptual learning and brain plasticity.

Methodologically, we use a broad repertoire of psychophysical tests to quantitatively assess perceptual and sensorimotor performance.

Brain reorganization in humans is studied in collaboration with the Department of Neurology and the Department of Radiology at the RuhrUniversity Bochum using fMRI, EEG and TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation).

157

Organization of the Human Trichromatic Cone Mosaic

Electrophysiological investigations and recordings of optical intrinsic signals in selected animal models provide details about mechanisms of plastic changes bridging the level between single neurons, neuron populations and cortical maps.

Conceptually, we study forms of use-dependent plasticity occurring under everyday-life conditions such as in musicians or elderly people.

In addition, we develop new stimulation procedures (so-called "unattended activation based learning" protocols such as "tactile coactivation") that allow a targeted modification of brain activation, and by that a targeted modification of sensorimotor performance.

MORE INFORMATION:

Prof. Dr. Martin Tegenthoff E-Mail: martin.tegenthoff@ruhr-uni-bochum.de Associate Professor Dr. Hubert R. Dinse E-Mail: hubert.dinse@neuroinformatik.ruhr-uni-bochum.de

OUTDOORLINKS:

Department of Neurology and the Department of Radiology at the RuhrUniversity Bochum http://www.neuroinformatik.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/thbio/index_d.html

Organization of the Human Trichromatic Cone Mosaic

By Heidi Hofer, Joseph Carroll, Jay Neitz, Maureen Neitz and David R. Williams

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Organization of the Human Trichromatic Cone Mosaic

Source: The Journal of Neuroscience, October 19, 2005, 25(42):96699679; doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2414-05.2005 http://www.jneurosci.org/cgi/content/abstract/25/42/9669 Using high-resolution adaptive-optics imaging combined with retinal densitometry, we characterized the arrangement of short- (S), middle(M), and long- (L) wavelength-sensitive cones in eight human foveal mosaics.

As suggested by previous studies, we found males with normal color vision that varied in the ratio of L to M cones (from 1.1:1 to 16.5:1).

We also found a protan carrier with an even more extreme L:M ratio (0.37:1). All subjects had nearly identical S-cone densities, indicating independence of the developmental mechanism that governs the relative numerosity of L/M and S cones. L:M cone ratio estimates were correlated highly with those obtained in the same eyes using the flicker photometric electroretinogram (ERG), although the comparison indicates that the signal from each M cone makes a larger contribution to the ERG than each L cone.

Although all subjects had highly disordered arrangements of L and M cones, three subjects showed evidence for departures from a strictly random rule for assigning the L and M cone photopigments.

In two retinas, these departures corresponded to local clumping of cones of like type.

In a third retina, the L:M cone ratio differed significantly at two retinal locations on opposite sides of the fovea.

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Mice Have A Gift for Song

These results suggest that the assignment of L and M pigment, although highly irregular, is not a completely random process.

Surprisingly, in the protan carrier, in which X-chromosome inactivation would favor L- or M-cone clumping, there was no evidence of clumping, perhaps as a result of cone migration during foveal development.

OUTDOORLINKS:

David R. Williams http://www.cvs.rochester.edu/people/d_williams/d_williams.html

Mice Have A Gift for Song Quelle: Press Release from PLoS Biology 26 October 2005 http://www.alphagalileo.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=readrelease&releaseid=508563 The biology of song and song learning comes mostly from research on songbirds, and shares important characteristics with human language.

Song commonly figures in courtship rituals among birds, insects, and frogs, but aside from humans, such behavior in mammals had been restricted to whales and bats. And none of these organisms can be studied with genetic tools.

In a new study published in the open access journal PLoS Biology, Timothy E. Holy and Zhongsheng Guo at the Washington University School of Medicine show that mice can sing too; and this could open whole new avenues of research into the genetic contributions to song and song learning.

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Mice Have A Gift for Song

Mouse social encounters prompt vocalizations, such as the inaudible ultrasonic calls of males presented with females or urine pheromones.

Previous studies of these vocalizations focused on classifying them by when they happened, rather than on their acoustic patterns.

In this study, Holy and Guo focused on the sounds themselves. The authors used cotton swabs coated with either female mouse urine, male mouse urine, or a combination of the two to elicit the male mouse’s ultrasonic sounds, and then recorded their vocal responses.

Far from random patter, male ultrasonic calls contain complex passages with long sequences composed of diverse syllable types.

The authors manipulated the recordings to hear the ultrasonics.

One approach used a slow playback (at one-sixteenth of the recorded speed) that distorted the temporal structure of the calls, which sounded like low, intermittent whistles.

The other dropped the pitch to an audible level without interfering with the time sequence—the pitch-shifted recording sounds remarkably like birdsong.

(To listen, go to DOI:10.1371/journal.pbio.0030386.sa004.)

To bolster this subjective conclusion, the authors then undertook a quantitative analysis of the sounds.

The males produced rapid “chirp-like” syllables of varying duration, spaced at about ten syllables per second, with a burst of closely spaced syllables followed by periods of silence.

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Mice Have A Gift for Song

In keeping with previous reports, some of the syllables showed sudden, significant changes in frequency (or pitch).

The authors identified discrete clusters of pitch changes by analyzing a set of 750 syllables produced by one mouse in a single 210-second trial and determined that these pitch changes followed a stereotyped pattern instead of random occurrence.

Trials with 45 different mice produced similar results, indicating that the pitch changes are a universal feature of mouse ultrasonic vocalizations.

Since the mice produced multiple syllable types arranged in regular, repeated time signatures, their vocalizations meet the definition of song.

The authors also showed that individual males produced songs distinct from those of other males. “The richness and diversity of mouse song appear to approach that of many songbirds,” Holy and Guo write.

And just like songbirds, the mice appear to be singing their own tune.

Future studies can begin to unravel the physiological basis and mechanics of ultrasonic mouse song—and perhaps decipher the messages encoded in the notes and melody.

Fulltext PDF at http://www.plos.org/press/plbi-03-12-holy.pdf OUTDOORLINKS:

Timothy E. Holy http://dbbs.wustl.edu/dbbs/website.nsf/0/ 64e97125efc6975e86256d4e005b2d35?OpenDocument&Click=

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Semantic congruity affects numerical judgments similarly in monkeys and

Email: holy@wustl.edu

Semantic congruity affects numerical judgments similarly in monkeys and humans

By Jessica F. Cantlon and Elizabeth M. Brannon Source: www.pnas.org/October 31, 2005 http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/0506463102v1 Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 10.1073/pnas.0506463102 Monkeys (Macaca mulatta) were trained to order visual arrays based on their number of elements and to conditionally choose the array with the larger or smaller number of elements dependent on a color cue.

When the screen background was red, monkeys were reinforced for choosing the smaller numerical value first.

When the screen background was blue, monkeys were reinforced for choosing the larger numerical value first.

Monkeys showed a semantic congruity effect analogous to that reported for human comparison judgments. Specifically, decision time was systematically influenced by the semantic congruity between the cue ("choose smaller" or "choose larger") and the magnitude of the choice stimuli (small or large numbers of dots).

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Foreign Sounds Fail to Heal Russians

This finding demonstrates a semantic congruity effect in a nonlinguistic animal and provides strong evidence for an evolutionarily primitive magnitude-comparison algorithm common to humans and monkeys.

To whom correspondence may be addressed.

Jessica F. Cantlon, E-mail: jfc2@duke.edu Elizabeth M. Brannon, E-mail: brannon@duke.edu OUTDOORLINKS:

Elizabeth M. Brannon http://www.duke.edu/web/mind/level2/faculty/liz/people_Liz.html

Foreign Sounds Fail to Heal Russians Source: MosNews/02.11.2005 http://www.mosnews.com/news/2005/11/02/soundtherapy.shtml Russian psychiatrists practicing music therapy to treat mental disorders have concluded that the healing effect of sounds fail to improve the state of most of their patients.

Music that proves soothing and calming for Europeans and Americans may further aggravate disorders Russians suffer from.

Russian psychiatrists practicing music therapy to treat mental disorders have concluded that the healing effect of sounds fail to improve the state of most of their patients, a popular Russian tabloid, the Moskovsky Komsomolets daily, reported Wednesday.

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Foreign Sounds Fail to Heal Russians

Music that proves soothing and calming for Europeans and Americans may further aggravate disorders that Russians suffer from.

The MK correspondent has learnt at a Moscow drug addiction treatment clinic that Russian medics have decided against blindly following the advice of U.S., German and Swedish experts who have long practiced music therapy to treat addicts.

A survey by Russian doctors has revealed that sounds pleasant for Europeans and Americans may have a very different effect on Russians.

For example, elsewhere around the globe doctors used sounds of nature to treat psychasthenic neurosis.

The Russian doctors, having adopted the method, discovered that Russians are afraid of the sound made by a flying mosquito, but on the other hand like the sound of oars splashing on water or the croaking of frogs.

Unlike European patients, Russians do not find the sound of logs crackling in the fireplace soothing; on the contrary, they associate the sound with the threat of fire.

Moreover, Russians still feel more comfortable at a traditional Russian hearth rather than in front of a fireplace.

In some cases the use of such therapy ended in increased anxiety, with patients being afraid to be left alone in their rooms.

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Sex Differences in the Brain: Implications for Explaining Autism

Sex Differences in the Brain: Implications for Explaining Autism

By Simon Baron-Cohen, Rebecca C. Knickmeyer, Matthew K. Belmonte Source: www.sciencemag.org/4 November 2005 http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/sci;310/5749/801 Science, Vol 310, Issue 5749, 801 , 4 November 2005 [DOI: 10.1126/science.310.5749.801] Empathizing is the capacity to predict and to respond to the behavior of agents (usually people) by inferring their mental states and responding to these with an appropriate emotion.

Systemizing is the capacity to predict and to respond to the behavior of nonagentive deterministic systems by analyzing input-operation-output relations and inferring the rules that govern such systems.

At a population level, females are stronger empathizers and males are stronger systemizers.

The "extreme male brain" theory posits that autism represents an extreme of the male pattern (impaired empathizing and enhanced systemizing).

Here we suggest that specific aspects of autistic neuroanatomy may also be extremes of typical male neuroanatomy.

To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Simon Baron-Cohen, E-mail: sb205@cam.ac.uk

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Penn researchers study the use of ultrasound for treatment of cancer

OUTDOORLINKS:

Autism Research Centre, Cambridge University http://www.autismresearchcentre.com/ Simon Baron-Cohen http://www.autismresearchcentre.com/arc/staff_member.asp?id=33

Penn researchers study the use of ultrasound for treatment of cancer Initial results in mice show this promising new treatment may disrupt the vessels supplying blood and nutrition to tumors Source: www.eurekalert.org/4-Nov-2005 http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-11/uops-prs110405.php For the first time, ultrasound is being used in animal models â&#x20AC;&#x201C; to treat cancer by disrupting tumor blood vessels.

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine completed a study in mice in which they used ultrasound both to see a tumor's blood perfusion and then to treat it with a continuous wave of low-level ultrasound.

After three minutes of treatment at an intensity similar to what is used in physiotherapy ultrasound (about 2.5 watts), researchers observed that the tumors had little or no blood supply.

"We used an ultrasound intensity higher than that used for imaging, but much lower than the high intensities used to ablate tissue. And we saw Odds and ends - themes and trends

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Penn researchers study the use of ultrasound for treatment of cancer

that this new use had a profound effect on shutting down the blood flow to the tumor and reducing the growth of the tumor in mice," said Chandra Sehgal, PhD, Director of Ultrasound Research in the Department of Radiology at Penn and the study's principal investigator.

"We wanted to study this use of ultrasound because we observed that some of these newly formed vessels created by tumors are very weak in nature, and if you turn on low-intensity ultrasound vibrations you can disrupt the blood flow through these vessels," explained Andrew Wood, DVSc, PhD, a co-investigator of the study and based in the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine.

Sehgal adds, "This approach is in keeping with the latest study of cancer treatment utilizing antiangiogenic and antivascular therapies, in which we look for ways to stop the growth of the vessels supplying blood and nutrition to the tumors, rather than develop methods to kill the tumor cells themselves."

For years, ultrasound has been used for clinical imaging and for therapeutic action in physical therapy. But now, Sehgal explains, "These results are extremely encouraging. They raise the possibility that, in the future, treatments with ultrasound either alone or with chemotherapeutic and antivascular agents could be used to treat cancers."

The results of this study were published in the October 2005 issue of "Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology." You can access it on-line at: www.sciencedirect.com (search for the UMB journal and then access Volume 31 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; October 2005, article 15 "The Antivascular Action of Physiotherapy Ultrasound on Murine Tumors").

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Penn researchers study the use of ultrasound for treatment of cancer

Editor's Notes: To schedule an interview with Dr. Chandra Sehgal, the principal investigator of the study or Dr. Andrew Wood, the first author of the study, please contact Susanne Hartman at 215-349-5964 or susanne.hartman@uphs.upenn.edu.

This study was funded in part by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Related images available upon request.

PENN Medicine is a $2.7 billion enterprise dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and high-quality patient care. PENN Medicine consists of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (founded in 1765 as the nation's first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System.

Penn's School of Medicine is ranked #2 in the nation for receipt of NIH research funds; and ranked #4 in the nation in U.S. News & World Report's most recent ranking of top research-oriented medical schools.

Supporting 1,400 fulltime faculty and 700 students, the School of Medicine is recognized worldwide for its superior education and training of the next generation of physician-scientists and leaders of academic medicine.

The University of Pennsylvania Health System includes three hospitals [Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, which is consistently ranked one of the nation's few "Honor Roll" hospitals by U.S. News & World Report; Pennsylvania Hospital, the nation's first hospital; and Penn Presbyterian Medical Center]; a faculty practice plan; a primary-care provider network; two multispecialty satellite facilities; and home care and hospice.

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Personality predicts activity in reward and emotional regions associated with

OUTDOORLINKS:

The Antivascular Action of Physiotherapy Ultrasound on Murine Tumors (PDF) http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/radiology/depa/ultrasoundlab/publications/ 2005/wood200502.pdf Chandra Sehgal http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/radiology/depa/ultrasoundlab/members.shtml

Personality predicts activity in reward and emotional regions associated with humor

By Dean Mobbs, Cindy C. Hagan, Eiman Azim, Vinod Menon and Allan L. Reiss Source: www.pnas.org/November 7, 2005 http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/0408457102v1 Previous research and theory suggest that two stable personality dimensions, extroversion and neuroticism, differentially influence emotional reactivity to a variety of pleasurable phenomena.

Here, we use event-related functional MRI to address the putative neural and behavioral associations between humor appreciation and the personality dimensions of introversion-extroversion and emotional stabilityneuroticism.

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See the Ball, Hit the Ball: Apparent Ball Size is Correlated with Batting Average

Our analysis showed extroversion to positively correlate with humordriven blood oxygenation level-dependent signal in discrete regions of the right orbital frontal cortex, ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, and bilateral temporal cortices.

Introversion correlated with increased activation in several regions, most prominently the bilateral amygdala. Although neuroticism did not positively correlate with any whole-brain activation, emotional stability (i.e., the inverse of neuroticism) correlated with increased activation in the mesocortical-mesolimbic reward circuitry encompassing the right orbital frontal cortex, caudate, and nucleus accumbens.

Our findings tie together existing neurobiological studies of humor appreciation and are compatible with the notion that personality style plays a fundamental role in the neurobiological systems subserving humor appreciation.

To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Allan L. Reiss, E-mail: reiss@stanford.edu OUTDOORLINKS:

Allan Reiss http://med.stanford.edu/profiles/Allan_Reiss/

See the Ball, Hit the Ball: Apparent Ball Size is Correlated with Batting Average Source: http://www.faculty.virginia.edu/perlab/misc/Witt2005b.pdf

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See the Ball, Hit the Ball: Apparent Ball Size is Correlated with Batting Average

Baseball players frequently say that the ball appears bigger when they are hitting well.

In describing a mammoth 565ft home run, Mickey Mantle said, “I never really could explain it. I just saw the ball as big as a grapefruit” (Ultimate New York Yankees, n.d.).

George Scott of the Boston Red Sox said, “When you’re hitting the ball [well], it comes at you looking like a grapefruit. When you’re not, it looks like a blackeyed pea” (Baseball Almanac, n.d.).

During a slump, Joe “Ducky” Medwick of the St. Louis Cardinals said he felt like he was “swinging at aspirins” (ESPNMAG.com, n.d.). Similar comments have been made by such Hall of Famers as Ted Williams (Roger Joslin, n.d.), “Wee” Willie Keeler (ESPNMAG.com, n.d.), George Brett (LA Article, n.d.), and more.

This phenomenon is not limited to baseball. When playing well, tennis players report that the ball looks huge, golfers say the cup looks bigger, and basketball players say the hoop looks enormous.

All of these people report perceptions, which were modulated by performance efficacy. Our experiment confirms that this phenomenon is a psychological reality.

Read more at Fulltext (PDF) here OUTDOORLINKS:

Jessica Witt http://www.virginia.edu/psychology/people/detail.php?id=179

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Functional morphology of Richardson's ground squirrel, Spermophilus

Functional morphology of Richardson's ground squirrel, Spermophilus richardsonii, alarm calls: the meaning of chirps, whistles and chucks

By Jennifer L. Sloan, David R. Wilson and James F. Hare, Source: www.sciencedirect.com/4. October 2005 Animal Behaviour Volume 70, Issue 4 , October 2005, Pages 937-944 doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2005.01.013 Copyright © 2005 Repetitive alarm vocalizations of Richardson's ground squirrels vary in terms of the acoustic structure of their primary syllables and the inclusion of brief, lower-amplitude, frequency-modulated trailing elements we term ‘chucks.’

Chucks are included in calls of both males and females and increase in prevalence with the proximity of the caller to the alarm-evoking stimulus.

Furthermore, chuck presence is not independent of primary syllable type: chucks follow primary syllables that have constant frequency and diminishing amplitude (‘whistle’), but do not trail primary syllables with diminishing frequency and nondescending amplitude spectra (‘chirps’).

Playbacks to free-living squirrels of repeated alarm calls having whistleor chirp-like primary syllables factorially combined with chuck presence or absence revealed that chirp-like syllables elicited greater vigilance from call recipients during signal propagation.

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Sonic Canon Gives Pirates an Earful

The addition of chucks to the end of primary syllables of either type, however, increased initial vigilance duration and the proportion of time devoted to vigilance during and after signal reception.

Chucks thus promote increased and lasting vigilance on the part of call recipients. Beyond enhancing vigilance, however, the inclusion of frequency-modulated chucks and chirps facilitates the orientation of receivers to the signaller.

Multiple acoustic parameters of Richardson's ground squirrel alarm vocalizations thus interact to communicate information regarding several aspects of a predator encounter.

Receivers use this information to their advantage, affording greater attention to calls that would be more readily located by predators, and hence are more costly for signallers to produce.

Correspondence: J. F. Hare, Email: harejf@cc.umanitoba.ca OUTDOORLINKS:

J. F. Hare http://umanitoba.ca/faculties/science/zoology/staffpages/hare.html

Sonic Canon Gives Pirates an Earful The Weapon of Sound

By Marco Evers

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Sonic Canon Gives Pirates an Earful

Source: Marco Evers/service.spiegel.de/ November 15, 2005 http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/spiegel/ 0,1518,385048,00.html Pirates off the coast of Somalia last week tried to take a US cruise ship.

But the attackers got more than they bargained for when the crew turned a newly developed sonic weapon on The sea bandits wore maniacal grins as they approached the "Seaborn Spirit" early in the morning of Nov. 5. Thinking they had found easy prey, they headed towards the cruise ship as it was peacefully sailing along the often lawless coast of Somalia. Most of the luxury liner's 151 passengers were still asleep, as the pirates began to open fire with machine guns from two motor boats. With bullets bouncing off the hull, the Norwegian Captain Sven Erik Pedersen warned his guests over the intercom: "Stay inside, we are under attack."

Charles Supple, a 78-year-old passenger, pulled his camera just as one of the pirates only 40 meters away steadied a rocket propelled grenade and fired. Supple saw a flash and quickly threw himself on the deck before the shot exploded just overhead. "It was extremely frightening," he said.

The Spirit was in extreme danger and a few of the ship's crew tried to wash the attackers into the sea with fire hoses. But it was a new high-tech weapon that allowed Captain Pedersen to escape the floating villains with only minimal damage to his vessel. In charge of ship security was a fearless former Gurkha -- the elite soldiers from Nepal in the British army. It was he who used a futuristic sonic cannon developed by the Pentagon to send the pirates packing.

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Sonic Canon Gives Pirates an Earful

Until now, it wasn't widely known that the US Defense Department was sharing the so-called Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD) with commercial cruise ships. The weapon is essentially a small dish that beams hellishly loud noise that is deafening but not lethal. Weighing 20 kilograms and as big as a TV satellite dish, the device looks deceptively harmless. But once trained on its target, it blasts a tight beam of painful siren-like sound.

It's not known how the grinning pirates 160 kilometers off the coast of the Horn of Africa reacted as they suddenly were hit by the LRAD. But they were close, and the closer one is to the sonic cannon, the worse the effect is. It's possible they received permanent hearing damage, but at the very least they experienced an excruciating headache and ear pain to the point that they could no longer see or hear. They also quickly lost the desire to board the ship. Of course, even Captain Blackbeard would have quickly set sail when confronted with 150 decibels of pure noise.

It appears the small dish proved instrumental in scaring off the attackers, although Captain Pedersen, dressed in his bathrobe, took to the helm and began maneuvering to create dangerous waves with the ship's wake. He also attempted to ram the pirates, but was unable to hit the smaller motor boats. The brave Gurkha came under fire and was lightly injured from splinters, but he continued his sonic blasts. Eventually, the Seabourn Spirit, engines at full speed, left the Somalis behind. When the ship docked in the Seychelles, the passengers celebrated the captain as if he were Lord Nelson himself.

The Long Range Acoustic Device from the California-based American Technology Corporation.

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Conference: Music and Consciousness

The LRAD was designed by a small San Diego, California firm called American Technology Corporation. The company has sold thousands of the acoustic cannon since 2003, including large orders to the US Armed Forces. Following the al-Qaida attack on the USS Cole in October 2000 that killed 17 sailors, the Pentagon wanted a non-lethal weapon to defend its ships that wouldn't necessarily kill potential attackers.

Around 300 LRADs are in currently in use in Iraq. The US Army even uses the sonic cannons to clear houses acoustically. The dish can even be used as a super megaphone -- enabling soldiers to warn drivers over 300 meters ahead of checkpoints.

Recognizing the potential, police in New York and Boston have also purchased a few of the $30,000 devices. So too, of course, have American and British cruise lines. Besides the Seabourn Spirit, the world's largest cruise ship, the "Queen Mary 2", is able to give pirates an earful.

OUTDOORLINKS:

LRAD - The Sound of Force Protection速 http://www.atcsd.com/lrad.html

Conference: Music and Consciousness 17-19 July 2006, University of Sheffield, UK Source: http://www.shef.ac.uk/music/staff/academic/eric-clarke/escom The last 10 years or so have seen the emergence of consciousness studies as a multi-disciplinary field of inquiry, partly driven by rapid develop-

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Conference: Music and Consciousness

ments in the neurosciences, but also stimulated by renewed interest within philosophy and the arts and humanities more generally.

There is a long history of thought about the relationship between music and consciousness, and this conference is intended as a forum to bring together the diverse fields within which that thinking has gone on.

The aim of the conference is therefore to approach the subject in as broad and inclusive a manner as possible, to provide an opportunity to discover different ways in which the relationship has been theorised and described, and to propose some of the ways in which future research and practice might develop.

The conference will consist entirely of plenary sessions so as to enable the most inclusive and wide-ranging participation, and significant amounts of time will be allocated for discussion.

Following a large and very diverse response to the call for papers, the successful proposals have now been selected, and the schedule of papers and posters, together with registration and accommodation details, will soon be posted on the website.

The change of date is to accommodate a larger number of presentations than we had anticipated, and to make it possible for the conference to be residential allowing for a greater degree of interaction between delegates.

OUTDOORLINKS:

A conference jointly organised by The University of Sheffield Department of Music

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Ice harmonies

http://www.shef.ac.uk/music/ The University of Newcastle´s International Centre for Music Studies. http://www.ncl.ac.uk/sacs/about/music/

Ice harmonies source:

http://www.awi-bremerhaven.de/AWI/Presse/PM/pm05-2.hj/

051124Eisberg-e.html Vibrations originating from an iceberg were recorded seismographically at the Antarctic Neumayer Station by scientists of the Alfred Wegener Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research and ‘Fielax’, a private business. The recorded vibrations produce harmonic sounds with up to 30 overtones. However, the sounds are not audible to the human ear because of the tones’ low register. The data might facilitate a better understanding of the processes in volcanoes where vibration patterns are similar.

Results might help vulcanologists The scientists are analysing the results of their measurements in a study just published in the scientific journal Science. Initially, volcanic activity was thought to cause the low frequency vibrations; so-called ‘tremors’.

However, comparisons of seismic soundings revealed movement of the source of the vibrations. By means of satellite imagery, a giant iceberg covering an area of 30 by 50 kilometres, was identified as the cause.

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Ice harmonies

The researchers suspect that water flowing within the iceberg’s system of crevasses and tunnels, is stimulating elastic vibrations, similar to those of an organ pipe. “Understanding these recordings that are so comparable to volcanic tremors might in turn also help volcanologists to explain the causes of volcanic tremors”, surmises Christian Müller from Fielax GmbH. “In contrast to complex volcanic systems, icebergs have a simpler structure.”

13 hours tremor The most spectacular of a total of eleven events was recorded on July 22, 2000 and lasted for 16 hours. It was triggered by two brief earthquakes, which could be localised and were the result of a collision of an iceberg identified as B-09A with the continental slope. Subsequently, a two-hour sequence of seismic signals with highly variable frequencies was followed by an one-hour seismic pause. The subsequent harmonic tremor lasted 13 hours. The seismic sounds were caused either by continuing collisions of the iceberg scraping alongside the continental slope, or by incursions within the iceberg.

As early as1987, this particular iceberg had fractured from Ross Ice Shelf. On its way around Antarctica it had been beached twice for several years, before, in 2000, it drifted westward past the Alfred Wegener Institute’s Neumayer Station. In addition to the harmonic features of the tremors recorded from B-09A, their intensity was particularly notable. The vibrations were detected seismically over a distance of 800 kilometres and their strength is comparable to volcanic tremors by Mount St Helens, for instance, or by Hawaiian volcanoes.

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Active listening gives meaning to digital music

The article „Singing icebergs“ will be published November 25 in “Science” (Vol. 310, issue 5752).

Your contact person is: Dr. Christian Müller, Email mueller@fielax.com OUTDOORLINKS:

Harmonien im Eis http://www.awi-bremerhaven.de/AWI/Presse/PM/pm05-2.hj/ 051124Eisberg-d.html

Active listening gives meaning to digital music Source: www.alphagalileo.org/21 November 2005 http://www.alphagalileo.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=readrelease&releaseid=508989 Imagine a home hi-fi system where music was automatically categorised according to preferences, where you could read the lyrics as you listen, summon up a favourite tune by humming it, and play along with your favourites.

It may sound farfetched, but all these functions and more have already been achieved.

The SemanticHIFI project, coordinated by the Paris-based music technology institute, Ircam, is unique.

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Active listening gives meaning to digital music

It represents a quantum leap in home music technology, in which access to musical content, and the ability to manipulate it, have hardly advanced since the days of the gramophone.

“Essentially, we are adding descriptions to musical content,” explains Ircam’s Hugues Vinet, the project coordinator. “This allows for more interaction with music, so users can do more than just passively listen.

Actually, it’s about making our sophisticated software tools for professional musicians available to a broader public.”

These tools enable a wide variety of functions.

Some address ways to browse the large number of recordings that now inhabit the average hard disk. “Browsing techniques for digital music were very basic,” explains Vinet. “You could only search ‘editorial’ information, such as titles.

But SemanticHIFI will allow people to label and browse their own collections according to actual musical content, categorised as they see fit.

“It’s not our object to define genres, but to let people define their own,” explains Vinet. “Then the system learns the definition criteria, and can label other titles accordingly.”

‘Browsing by example’ is another intriguing possibility – simply select the kind of music you want to hear, on the basis of features such as tempo or orchestration, and the programme comes up with a list of comparable pieces.

Naturally, exploring musical content in this way requires a mode of visualisation.

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Active listening gives meaning to digital music

“So we have developed a system that analyses the temporal structure of a piece of music and develops a graphical map or interface based on that,” explains Vinet. “So if you click on one of the elements in the graphical map, you go directly to that part of the music. What’s more, using this algorithm you can generate a musical summary as a new file – condensing a long piece into a much shorter one, but complete with all its variations.

Then you can manipulate musical content via the summary and the graphical map.”

Another way of navigating through musical documents involves the ability to separate different instruments, using sound manipulation techniques that reproduce sounds in space. Here, SemanticHIFI challenges the usual recorded music model, which is undoubtedly polyphonic: “We have to persuade the music industry to evolve its production process by providing multitrack recordings,” says Vinet. Being able to separate the instruments allows the listener to arrange an orchestra in space, choosing where to place the violins, for example. It invites listeners and musicians to really understand the construction of a piece, and play along with it.

“The system even includes simplified musical instruments that you can play with, using your voice,” Vinet explains.

SemanticHIFI’s system architecture has several components: a hi-fi box in the living room will house most of the capabilities. PC applications will enable more advanced functions, such as performance ones.

Other capabilities are peer-to-peer file sharing – “In a non-copyright infringing way,” Vinet insists. “Users can share metadata – their indexing and manipulations – but not original tracks.

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Active listening gives meaning to digital music

The computer identifies the original behind the metadata, and if you don’t own it, will suggest you buy it. SemanticHIFI is therefore compatible with the commercial model.”

The project counts Berlin’s Native Instruments and the Sony European Technology Centre (Stuttgart) as its industrial partners.

Sony handles the integration of the technologies into a box, which is the next step. “We’re two-thirds of the way there,” says Vinet. “All the technologies have been validated and the first application prototypes will be ready early in 2006, for a first trial at the Cité des Sciences in Paris.”

He believes it is up to industry to decide the commercial future of the project: “The box itself may be a product, and parts of it may be adapted into mobiles or games – there are many possibilities,” he says.

But whatever form SemanticHIFI takes, one thing is for sure: listening to music will never be the same again.

Contact: Hugues Vinet, Email: Hugues.Vinet@ircam.fr OUTDOORLINKS:

SemanticHIFI project website http://shf.ircam.fr/ Ircam http://www.ircam.fr/?L=1

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Echolocating bats can use acoustic landmarks for spatial orientation

Echolocating bats can use acoustic landmarks for spatial orientation

By Marianne Egebjerg Jensen, Cynthia F. Moss and Annemarie Surlykke source: http://jeb.biologists.org/cgi/content/abstract/208/23/4399 Journal of Experimental Biology 208, 4399-4410 (2005)/doi: 10.1242/ jeb.01901 We investigated the echolocating bat's use of an acoustic landmark for orientation in a complex environment with no visual information.

Three bats of the species Eptesicus fuscus were trained to fly through a hole in a mist net to receive a food reward on the other side.

In all experiments, the vocal behavior of the bats was recorded simultaneously using a high-speed video recording system, allowing for a 3D reconstruction of the flight path.

We ran three types of experiments, with different spatial relations between the landmark and net hole.

In the first experiment, the bat's behavior was studied in test trials with the landmark placed 10 cm to the left of the net opening; between test trials, the positions of the net opening and landmark were moved, but the spatial relationship between the two remained fixed.

With the landmark adjacent to the net opening, the bats quickly found the hole.

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Musician breaks new ground with glass composition

In the second experiment, bats were tested in control trials in which the landmark was moved independently of the hole, breaking the established spatial relationship between the two.

Here the bats spent more time per trial searching for the net opening with an increased number of inspections as well as crashes into the net. In control trials the bats repeatedly crashed into the net next to the landmark, and inspected the area around it. In the final experiment, the landmark was removed altogether from the set-up.

However, over the course of a test day without the landmark, bats reduced the time spent per trial and focused inspections and crashes around the hole.

The behavioral data show for the first time that the echolocating bat can learn to rely on an acoustic landmark to guide spatial orientation.

OUTDOORLINKS:

Marianne Egebjerg Jensen http://www.lamiller.biology.sdu.dk/gb/undervisning.htm

Musician breaks new ground with glass composition Source: www.york.ac.uk/01 December 2005 http://www.york.ac.uk/admin/presspr/pressreleases/glassman.htm For musician Neil Sorrell, it was one of his most unusual assignments â&#x20AC;&#x201C; to create 15 minutes of music, using only the sounds of glass.

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Musician breaks new ground with glass composition

Dr Sorrell, a senior lecturer in the University of York’s Department of Music, was asked to create the music for a radio play his brother, Martin, had written about an unusual medical condition that caused sufferers to believe they were turning to glass.

The “glass delusion” -- a state of profound anxiety now associated with severe depression -- was relatively common in the Middle Ages. King Charles VI of France was a sufferer and had iron ribs sewn into his clothing to protect himself in case of a fall while in 1610, Cervantes wrote a novella The Glass Graduate about the condition.

But Martin Sorrell, Professor of French at Exeter University, has set his play The Glass Man, chronicling a young man’s affliction with the condition, in the present day.

He approached his brother to write the music and Neil Sorrell took up the challenge, though with a limited budget and a tight deadline, he decided on a novel approach.

Dr Sorrell said: “I didn’t want to use normal instruments. I decided that using the sounds that could be created by glass would give the music an other-worldy quality. If it had been done on normal instruments, it would have sounded banal and naïve.”

After sketching out his musical ideas, Dr Sorrell set about gathering his ‘instruments’ including wine glasses, large vessels from the University’s Department of Chemistry and even the inside of a vacuum flask.

He enlisted the help of second-year postgraduate student in the Department of Music, Chilean Felipe Otondo, to act as recording engineer.

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How the Brain Tunes Out Background Noise

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I started producing sounds using the glass and recorded them with Felipe which gave me a scale of notes to work with. It was very satisfying and very creative but a bit of white-knuckle ride towards the end when the deadline was fast approaching!â&#x20AC;?

It took 24 hours of studio time to produce 15 minutes of music.

The Glass Man directed by Sara Davies, and starring Cark Prekopp, Saskia Reeves, Barbara Flynn and Stephen Perring, will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 at 2.15pm on 6 December 2005.

OUTDOORLINKS:

Martin Sorrell http://www.departments.ex.ac.uk/french/staff/MS.html Felipe Otondo http://www.otondo.net/ Neil Sorrell http://www-users.york.ac.uk/~nfis1/welcome.htm

How the Brain Tunes Out Background Noise Source: news.yahoo.com/05.12.2005 http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20051202/sc_space/howthebraintunesoutbackgroundnoise

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How the Brain Tunes Out Background Noise

Special neurons in the brainstem of rats focus exclusively on new, novel sounds and help them ignore predictable and ongoing noises, a new study finds.

The same process likely occurs in humans and may affect our speech and even help us laugh.

The "novelty detector neurons," as researchers call them, quickly stop firing if a sound or sound pattern is repeated. They will briefly resume firing if some aspect of the sound changes. The neurons can detect changes in pitch, loudness or duration of a single sound and can also note shifts in the pattern of a complex series of sounds.

"It is probably a good thing to have this ability because it allows us to tune out background noises like the humming of a car's motor while we are driving or the regular tick-tock of a clock," said study team member Ellen Covey, a psychology professor at the University of Washington.

"But at the same time, these neurons would instantly draw a person's attention if their car's motor suddenly made a strange noise or if their cell phone rang."

Covey said similar neurons seem to be present in all vertebrates and almost certainly exist in the human brain.

The novelty detector neurons seem to act as gatekeepers, Covey and her colleagues conclude, preventing information about unimportant sounds from reaching the brain's cortex, where higher processing occurs. This allows people to ignore sounds that don't require attention.

The results are detailed this month in the European Journal of Neuroscience.

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The novelty detector neurons seem able to store information about a pattern of sound, so they may also be involved in speech, which requires anticipating the end of a word and knowing where the next one begins.

"Speech fluency requires a predictive strategy," Covey explained. "Whatever we have just heard allows us to anticipate what will come next, and violations of our predictions are often surprising or humorous."

OUTDOORLINKS:

Ellen Covey, Ph.D. http://web.psych.washington.edu/directory/people.php?person_id=39 ATP Signaling Is Crucial for Communication from Taste Buds to Gustatory Nerves

By Thomas E. Finger, Vicktoria Danilova, Jennell Barrows, Dianna L. Bartel, Alison J. Vigers, Leslie Stone, Goran Hellekant, Sue C. Kinnamon Source: www.sciencemag.org/2 December 2005 http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/short/310/5753/1495 Vol. 310. no. 5753, pp. 1495 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1499/DOI: 10.1126/science.1118435 Taste receptor cells detect chemicals in the oral cavity and transmit this information to taste nerves, but the neurotransmitter(s) have not been identified.

We report that adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) is the key neurotransmitter in this system.

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Be a rock star. Play the Virtual Air Guitar

Genetic elimination of ionotropic purinergic receptors (P2X2 and P2X3) eliminates taste responses in the taste nerves, although the nerves remain responsive to touch, temperature, and menthol.

Similarly, P2X-knockout mice show greatly reduced behavioral responses to sweeteners, glutamate, and bitter substances.

Finally, stimulation of taste buds in vitro evokes release of ATP. Thus, ATP fulfils the criteria for a neurotransmitter linking taste buds to the nervous system.

To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Sue C. Kinnamon E-mail: sue.kinnamon@colostate.edu OUTDOORLINKS:

Thomas E. Finger http://www.uchsc.edu/cdb/faculty/finger.htm Sue C. Kinnamon http://www.cvmbs.colostate.edu/bms/kinnamon.htm

Be a rock star. Play the Virtual Air Guitar Source: http://airguitar.tml.hut.fi/ The Virtual Air Guitar is a new way of experiencing music.

It is an instrument literally played in the air: no strings, no keys, just you, free to perform.

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Be a rock star. Play the Virtual Air Guitar

Playing air guitar is like playing rock guitar, only without the guitar or any musical skills.

It is a wild show, it is letting go, it is the essence of the rock attitude.

But up until now, air guitarists have been limited to playing along existing music.

The Virtual Air Guitar changes all this.

It is an entertainment device that you can learn to use instantly - no musical skills required.

Just wear the orange gloves and play.

The guitar does not merely respond - you are actually playing it.

It's a new way of experiencing music.

The experience is currently featured in the Heureka Science Centre in Finland, and has toured the world in various conferences.

To read Fulltext, click to the Homepage of Virtual Air Guitar http://airguitar.tml.hut.fi/ OUTDOORLINKS:

Homepage of Virtual Air Guitar http://airguitar.tml.hut.fi/

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Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Head Circumference Study of Brain Size in

Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Head Circumference Study of Brain Size in Autism Birth Through Age 2 Years

By Heather Cody Hazlett, PhD; Michele Poe, PhD; Guido Gerig, PhD; Rachel Gimpel Smith, BA; James Provenzale, MD; Allison Ross, MD; John Gilmore, MD; Joseph Piven, MD Source: archpsyc.ama-assn.org/Vol. 62 No. 12, December 2005/ 2005;62:1366-1376. http://archpsyc.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/62/12/1366 Context While the neuroanatomical basis of autism is not yet known, evidence suggests that brain enlargement may be characteristic of this disorder.

Inferences about the timing of brain enlargement have recently come from studies of head circumference (HC).

Objectives To examine brain volume and HC in individuals with autism as compared with control individuals.

Design A cross-sectional study of brain volume was conducted at the first time point in an ongoing longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging study of brain development in autism. Retrospective longitudinal HC measure-

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Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Head Circumference Study of Brain Size in

ments were gathered from medical records on a larger sample of individuals with autism and local control individuals.

Setting Clinical research center.

Participants The magnetic resonance imaging study included 51 children with autism and 25 control children between 18 and 35 months of age (the latter included both developmentally delayed and typically developing children). Retrospective, longitudinal HC data were examined from birth to age 3 years in 113 children with autism and 189 local control children.

Main Outcome Measures Cerebral cortical (including cortical lobes) and cerebellar gray and white matter magnetic resonance imaging brain volumes as well as retrospective HC data from medical records were studied.

Results Significant enlargement was detected in cerebral cortical volumes but not cerebellar volumes in individuals with autism. Enlargement was present in both white and gray matter, and it was generalized throughout the cerebral cortex. Head circumference appears normal at birth, with a significantly increased rate of HC growth appearing to begin around 12 months of age.

Conclusions

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Rapid developmental switch in the mechanisms driving early cortical columnar

Generalized enlargement of gray and white matter cerebral volumes, but not cerebellar volumes, are present at 2 years of age in autism. Indirect evidence suggests that this increased rate of brain growth in autism may have its onset postnatally in the latter part of the first year of life.

OUTDOORLINKS:

Heather Cody Hazlett http://www.psychiatry.unc.edu/directories/hazlett.htm Archives of General Psychiatry http://archpsyc.ama-assn.org/

Rapid developmental switch in the mechanisms driving early cortical columnar networks

By Erwan Dupont, Ileana L. Hanganu, Werner Kilb, Silke Hirsch and Heiko J. Luhmann Source: www.nature.com/4 December 2005 http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/abs/ nature04264.html;jsessionid=CD9BEE2CAE67ACFA2207071C9FC011D7 Nature advance online publication; published online 4 December 2005 | doi:10.1038/nature04264 The immature cerebral cortex self-organizes into local neuronal clusters long before it is activated by patterned sensory inputs.

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Rapid developmental switch in the mechanisms driving early cortical columnar

In the cortical anlage of newborn mammals, neurons coassemble through electrical or chemical synapses either spontaneously or by activation of transmitter-gated receptors.

The neuronal network and the cellular mechanisms underlying this cortical self-organization process during early development are not completely understood.

Here we show in an intact in vitro preparation of the immature mouse cerebral cortex that neurons are functionally coupled in local clusters by means of propagating network oscillations in the beta frequency range.

In the newborn mouse, this activity requires an intact subplate and is strongly synchronized within a cortical column by gap junctions.

With the developmental disappearance of the subplate at the end of the first postnatal week, activation of NMDA (N-methyl-d-aspartate) receptors in the immature cortical network is essential to generate this columnar activity pattern.

Our findings show that during a brief developmental period the cortical network switches from a subplate-driven, gap-junction-coupled syncytium to a synaptic network acting through NMDA receptors to generate synchronized oscillatory activity, which may function as an early functional template for the development of the cortical columnar architecture.

Correspondence to: Heiko J. Luhmann, Email: luhmann@uni-mainz.de OUTDOORLINKS:

Arbeitsgruppe Prof. Dr. Heiko Luhmann

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Unexceptional sharpness of frequency tuning in the human cochlea

http://physiologie.uni-mainz.de/physio/luhmann/index.htm

Unexceptional sharpness of frequency tuning in the human cochlea

By Mario A. Ruggero and Andrei N. Temchin Source: www.pnas.org/ December 12, 2005 http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/0509323102v1?etoc www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.0509323102 The responses to sound of auditory-nerve fibers are well known in many animals but are topics of conjecture for humans.

Some investigators have claimed that the auditory-nerve fibers of humans are more sharply tuned than are those of various experimental animals.

Here we invalidate such claims.

First, we show that forward-masking psychophysical tuning curves, which were used as the principal support for those claims, greatly overestimate the sharpness of cochlear tuning in experimental animals and, hence, also probably in humans.

Second, we calibrate compound action potential tuning curves against the tuning of auditory-nerve fibers in experimental animals and use compound action potential tuning curves recorded in humans to show that the sharpness of tuning in human cochleae is not exceptional and that it is

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Attention Gaming

actually similar to tuning in all mammals and birds for which comparisons are possible.

Third, we note that the similarity of frequency of tuning across species with widely diverse cochlear lengths and auditory bandwidths implies that for any given stimulus frequency the "cochlear amplifier" is confined to a highly localized region of the cochlea.

To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Mario A. Ruggero, E-mail: mruggero@northwestern.edu OUTDOORLINKS:

Mario A. Ruggero http://www.communication.northwestern.edu/csd/faculty/ Mario_Ruggero/

Attention Gaming

by Lindsay Carswel Source: Lindsay Carswel/www.sciencentral.com/8.12.2005 http://www.sciencentral.com/articles/view.php3?article_id=218392700 Playing too many video games has been reported to increase violent tendencies in some people or make some kids slow learners, but they may also create skilled surgeons and have also been used as a virtual distraction helping some kids get through painful medical treatments.

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Attention Gaming

Now it seems that playing certain special computer games could help prepare some kids for school.

Psychologists at the University of Oregon designed the games to train the network of brain areas involved in attention, which undergoes important development between ages three and seven.

"It's important, particularly in child development, for the child's ability to regulate their thoughts and to control their emotions," explains neuropsychologist Mike Posner.

"This executive network, which tends to control the child's emotions, and also allows them to continue to work on a particular task, it's also likely that that network is also deficient in ADHD children."

Posner and his research team were interested in seeing whether, with a certain amount of training, they might be able to improve the efficiency of the network in children at the age when the network is developing.

They studied groups of children aged four to six. Those in the training group were given increasingly difficult attention tasks.

"Training programs designed to teach monkeys to go into outer space and work on NASA experiments involved teaching those monkeys to resolve conflict between different thoughts. And that's a very important aspect of the executive attention network. So we decided we would adopt those training programs for children," he explains.

The children were asked to use a control device, like a game joystick, to move a cursor on a screen to the larger of two groups of objects. But a conflict was sometimes created by making the larger group have a lesser Odds and ends - themes and trends

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Attention Gaming

value, for example, the larger group was made up of lots of number 2's, while the smaller group consisted of number 7's.

"So there's a conflict between going to the larger number of items and going to the larger digit," Posner says, "and the children are taught to resolve that conflict."

Using caps wired with electrodes, the team recorded children's brainwaves at the beginning and end of the study.

They reported in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that they could see the network get more efficient after just five training sessions.

"Part of the network developed a more mature response," says Posner. "It looked more like the adult subjects that we've also run in these experimentsâ&#x20AC;Ś that is higher levels of behavior both in the task and in the responses of their brains."

The researchers believe this shows that it is possible to train the executive attention network and will lead to future studies into exactly how this might be fit into an appropriate training program for children.

They also found that even this brief attention training improved one measure of the IQ, involving nonverbal reasoning.

"This suggests that the improvements of attention that we achieved by this training will also affect other aspects of cognitive processes," he says. "But let's keep in mind that training was only five days training, which is a very minimal period of training. The training effects were not as large as the effects of norm development between four and six years."

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Posner says that while this study measured subtle effects, it shows that early childhood educators should pay attention to improving attention.

"We don't know how long this lasts however. We have not followed up children at later ages to see whether the improvement in attention helps," he says. "But I think you have to realize that when children enter school, if they're better able to attend even at the very start, then that allows them to absorb information better. That might increase their later attention and things might spiral. So very small changes might turn out to be really quite important in the life of the child."

During their experiments, the researchers also took DNA samples to study whether differences in genes involved in the network can predict who will benefit most from the training.

They discovered that the dopamine transporter gene, one of four genes they had previously found to be related to this network in adults, also showed a strong relation in children.

"People have several different versions of the gene," Posner explains.

"Different versions of the gene resulted in somewhat different efficiency of the attention network."

He says that children with a particular version of the gene seemed to have more difficulty with attention to benefit more from the attention training, suggesting that genetics tests might one day aid educators in targeting special training .

"So I think it's become hopeful that we will get more and more knowledge about the genetic basis that underlies the efficiency of these net-

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Music therapy brings progress with the beat of a drum

works, and even the genes that actually build the network as the child develops," says Posner.

Posner's work was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences early edition, Sept 28, 2005 and was funded by the 21st Century Science Initiative of the James S. McDonnell Foundation, the National Institute of Mental Health (HD 38051), and the Dana Foundation for Studies of the Arts.

OUTDOORLINKS:

Michael Posner http://www.neuro.uoregon.edu/ionmain/htdocs/faculty/posner.html Teach-the-Brain Learning Tools Downloads Various tools are available for download that are free for your use. http://www.teach-the-brain.org/learn/downloads/index.htm

Music therapy brings progress with the beat of a drum

By Amanda Fehd Source: Amanda Fehd/www.tahoedailytribune.com/December 13, 2005 http://www.tahoedailytribune.com/article/20051213/NEWS/112130030 A year ago, 3-year-old Anthony Triano could not walk, feed himself, dress himself or go to the potty alone.

Anthony has Down syndrome and he learns things a little more slowly than other children.

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Music therapy brings progress with the beat of a drum

But with the help of a drumbeat and a song, Anthony can now do all of those tasks.

"Music engages a different part of the brain," said Colleen Klym, a music therapist. "So while one part of the brain might not be able to process things, the part that processes music might be more advanced in these kids who are developmentally disabled."

Klym, 27, works with children like Anthony, as well as the elderly who have lost speech or motor functions.

Through her company, Mountain Music Therapy, she works at several area schools and nursing homes and provides private sessions.

Anthony took his first steps with Colleen through music, said his mother, Shauna Triano.

She had been working with Anthony for more than a year to teach him to thread beads on a string, considered a developmental milestone.

He got it within five minutes during music therapy session last week.

Other tasks, like using a spoon, have also come more easily, his parents said.

With standard therapies, Anthony would make some progress, his father Dave Triano said, "but the difference when the therapies were integrated with music was stunning."

Music therapy is an established health care profession which requires 41Ă&#x161;2 years of training plus a credential, according to the American Music Therapy Association.

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Music therapy brings progress with the beat of a drum

The profession began in the hospitals of World Wars I and II, where doctors noticed music's benefit to patients' well-being.

The first music therapy degree was awarded 51 years ago at Michigan State University.

The therapy was featured in the Nov. 14 edition of Time magazine for its alleged benefits to patients with Alzheimer's and dementia.

Despite this history, Klym said she still senses skepticism from people and feels she has to prove it is valid.

But parents like the Trianos have left their doubt behind.

"It's amazing," Shauna Triano said. "I keep thinking it's not going to work and it works. Every time she does something with him, he's able to do it."

Klym is not a performer. Rather, she uses several instruments to teach speech and movement, and improve social skills through an interactive environment, where the patient participates to his or her best ability.

With the beat of a drum or guitar, Klym breaks down the steps to a certain task like putting on pants or making a sentence, and might come up with a song to match.

Lynne Tara wishes she knew about music therapy a long time ago, when her 15-year-old daughter Katelyn, who also has Down syndrome, was an infant.

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BDNF from microglia causes the shift in neuronal anion gradient underlying

When Katelyn started therapy last year with Klym, she could only say a couple of words at a time. Now, she is forming sentences for the first time in her life, according to her mother.

"We had not seen much improvement at all until this came along," Tara said. "She works hard with these kids. There's so many children who have speech delay who could benefit from this."

Klym grew up in an Irish home with music all around her. In tough times, she always turned to music to help her get through, she said.

"I feel like I've been blessed with the gift of music. And I'm honored to work with these people and see them learn and feel good and be touched by music like I was touched by music.

"The music speaks for itself and it does work."

OUTDOORLINKS:

American Music Therapy Association http://www.musictherapy.org Michigan State University http://www.msu.edu/index.html

BDNF from microglia causes the shift in neuronal anion gradient underlying neuropathic pain

By Jeffrey A. M. Coull, Simon Beggs, Dominic Boudreau, Dominick Boivin, Makoto Tsuda, Kazuhide Inoue, Claude Gravel, Michael W. Salter and Yves De Koninck

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BDNF from microglia causes the shift in neuronal anion gradient underlying

Source: Nature 438, 1017-1021 (15 December 2005) | doi:10.1038/ nature04223 http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v438/n7070/abs/nature04223.html

Neuropathic pain that occurs after peripheral nerve injury depends on the hyperexcitability of neurons in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord1, 2, 3.

Spinal microglia stimulated by ATP contribute to tactile allodynia, a highly debilitating symptom of pain induced by nerve injury4.

Signalling between microglia and neurons is therefore an essential link in neuropathic pain transmission, but how this signalling occurs is unknown.

Here we show that ATP-stimulated microglia cause a depolarizing shift in the anion reversal potential (Eanion) in spinal lamina I neurons.

This shift inverts the polarity of currents activated by GABA (-amino butyric acid), as has been shown to occur after peripheral nerve injury5.

Applying brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) mimics the alteration in Eanion. Blocking signalling between BDNF and the receptor TrkB reverses the allodynia and the Eanion shift that follows both nerve injury and administration of ATP-stimulated microglia.

ATP stimulation evokes the release of BDNF from microglia.

Preventing BDNF release from microglia by pretreating them with interfering RNA directed against BDNF before ATP stimulation also inhibits the effects of these cells on the withdrawal threshold and Eanion.

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Scientists Figure Out Why Mona Lisa Smiles

Our results show that ATP-stimulated microglia signal to lamina I neurons, causing a collapse of their transmembrane anion gradient, and that BDNF is a crucial signalling molecule between microglia and neurons.

Blocking this microgliaâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;neuron signalling pathway may represent a therapeutic strategy for treating neuropathic pain.

Correspondence to: Yves De Koninck, Email: Yves.DeKoninck@crulrg.ulaval.ca OUTDOORLINKS:

Yves De Koninck http://www.medicine.mcgill.ca/pharma/displaypharma.asp?Pharma_ID=18 Michael Salter http://www.utoronto.ca/pain/about_us.html

Scientists Figure Out Why Mona Lisa Smiles

By TOBY STERLING Source: TOBY STERLING/ The Associated Press/www.washingtonpost.com/ December 15, 2005 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/15/ AR2005121501168.html

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Scientists Figure Out Why Mona Lisa Smiles

The mysterious half-smile that has intrigued viewers of the Mona Lisa for centuries isn't really that difficult to interpret, Dutch researchers said Thursday.

She was smiling because she was happy - 83 percent happy, to be exact, according to scientists from the University of Amsterdam.

In what they viewed as a fun demonstration of technology rather than a serious experiment, the researchers scanned a reproduction of Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece and subjected it to cutting-edge "emotion recognition" software, developed in collaboration with the University of Illinois.

The result showed the painting's famous subject was 83 percent happy, 9 percent disgusted, 6 percent fearful and 2 percent angry.

She was less than 1 percent neutral, and not at all surprised.

Leonardo began work on the painting in 1503, and it now hangs in the Louvre in Paris.

The work, also known as "La Gioconda," is believed to have portrayed the wife of Francesco del Giocondo.

The title is a play on her husband's name, and also means "the jolly lady" in Italian.

Harro Stokman, a professor at the University of Amsterdam involved in the experiment, said the researchers knew the results would be unscientific _ the software isn't designed to register subtle emotions.

So it couldn't detect the hint of sexual suggestion or disdain many have read into Mona Lisa's eyes.

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Scientists Figure Out Why Mona Lisa Smiles

In addition, the technology is designed for use with modern digital films and images, and subjects first need to be scanned in a neutral emotionless state to accurately detect their current emotion.

Lead researcher Nicu Sebe took the challenge as seriously as he could, using the faces of 10 women of Mediterranean ancestry to create a composite image of a neutral expression. He then compared that to the face in the painting, scoring it on the basis of six emotions: happiness, surprise, anger, disgust, fear and sadness.

"Basically, it's like casting a spider web over the face to break it down into tiny segments," Stokman said. "Then you look for minute differences in the flare of the nostril or depth of the wrinkles around the eyes."

Stokman said with a reading of 83 percent, it's clear happiness was the woman's main emotion.

Biometrics experts not involved with the experiment said the results were interesting even if they aren't the last word on the Mona Lisa.

"Facial recognition technology is advancing rapidly, but emotional recognition is really still in its infancy," said Larry Hornak, director of the Center for Identification Technology Research at West Virginia University.

"It sounds like they did try to use a data set, even if it was small, and that's typical of work in an area like this that's relatively new. It's an interesting result," he said.

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Neural activity in speech-sensitive auditory cortex during silence

Stokman said he knew the University of Amsterdam effort won't prove or disprove controversial theories about the painting. One is that it was actually a self-portrait of Leonardo himself as a woman.

"But who knows, in 30, 40, 50 years, maybe they'll be able to tell what was on her mind," Stokman said.

Hornak agreed the idea was entertaining.

"It's always fun to apply technology to areas of public interest, and sometimes you can come up with results that are very illuminating," he said.

Jim Wayman, a biometrics researcher at San Jose State University agreed.

"It's hocus pocus, not serious science," Wayman said. "But it's good for a laugh, and it doesn't hurt anybody.

OUTDOORLINKS:

Harro Stokman http://staff.science.uva.nl/~stokman/isis/title.html Nicu Sebe http://staff.science.uva.nl/~nicu/contact.html

Neural activity in speech-sensitive auditory cortex during silence

By M. D. Hunter, S. B. Eickhoff, T. W. R. Miller, T. F. D. Farrow, I. D. Wilkinson and P. W. R. Woodruff

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Neural activity in speech-sensitive auditory cortex during silence

Source: www.pnas.org/ December 21, 2005 http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/0506268103v1?etoc Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 10.1073/pnas.0506268103 That auditory hallucinations are voices heard in the absence of external stimuli implies the existence of endogenous neural activity within the auditory cortex responsible for their perception.

Further, auditory hallucinations occur across a range of healthy and disease states that include reduced arousal, hypnosis, drug intoxication, delirium, and psychosis.

This suggests that, even in health, the auditory cortex has a propensity to spontaneously "activate" during silence.

Here we report the findings of a functional MRI study, designed to examine baseline activity in speech-sensitive auditory regions.

During silence, we show that functionally defined speech-sensitive auditory cortex is characterized by intermittent episodes of significantly increased activity in a large proportion (in some cases >30%) of its volume.

Bilateral increases in activity are associated with foci of spontaneous activation in the left primary and association auditory cortices and anterior cingulate cortex.

We suggest that, within auditory regions, endogenous activity is modulated by anterior cingulate cortex, resulting in spontaneous activation during silence.

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Mind Recreates Past Reality When Remembering

Hence, an aspect of the brain's "default mode" resembles a (preprepared) substrate for the development of auditory hallucinations.

These observations may help explain why such hallucinations are ubiquitous.

Full-Text PDF: http://www.pnas.org/cgi/reprint/0506268103v1 To whom correspondence should be addressed.

M. D. Hunter, E-mail: m.d.hunter@sheffield.ac.uk OUTDOORLINKS:

Peter Woodruff (M.B., B.S., PhD, M.R.C.P., MRCPsych.) http://www.shef.ac.uk/medicine/staff/woodruff.html

Mind Recreates Past Reality When Remembering

By Daniel DeNoon Source: www.webmd.com/December 22, 2005 http://www.webmd.com/content/Article/116/112273.htm WebMD Medical News/December 22, 2005 When we try to remember something, we do mental time travel.

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Mind Recreates Past Reality When Remembering

New studies show that as we try to recall something, our brain works to match the brain state we had during the event we are remembering. When our reassembled brain state is a close enough match to the old one, voila!

We remember.

The finding comes from brain imaging studies by University of Pennsylvania postdoctoral student Sean Polyn, PhD, and colleagues.

"Memory retrieval is like revisiting the past," Polyn says, in a news release. "Brain patterns that are long gone can be revived by the memory system."

The findings appear in the Dec. 23 issue of Science.

Remembering Celebrities, Landmarks, and Things Polyn's team asked volunteers to study three lists. Each list contained 30 items: celebrity photographs, pictures of famous places, and photos of common objects.

The brain stores different classes of things -- such as faces, places, and things -- in different ways. As each volunteer studied each item, the researchers scanned their brains with an fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) device. This imaging lets researchers see which parts of the brain are being used, and when.

Later, the volunteers tried to remember the faces, places, and things in any order they liked while the researchers scanned their brains. Sure enough, as they tried to remember something, their brains began to look just as they did when they were learning that class of object.

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MIT researcher finds neuron growth in adult brain

And just before they reported the object they remembered, their brain activity matched the brain activity for that class of object.

"As subjects search for memories from a particular event, their brain state progressively comes to resemble their brain state during the sought-after event," Polyn and colleagues write. "And the degree of match predicts what kind of information the subjects will retrieve."

Polyn says the findings help explain a common experience. "[It is] much like when you try to remember where you put your keys last night," Polyn says. "If you recall that you were washing dishes, that might trigger associated memories, leading you to remember that your keys are next to the sink."

And the findings also carry some hint of mind reading. The brain scans told the researchers -- before the subjects did -- what class of object the subjects were remembering.

OUTDOORLINKS:

Sean Polyn http://www.polyn.com/

MIT researcher finds neuron growth in adult brain Source: www.eurekalert.org/26-Dec-2005 http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-12/miot-mrf122205.php Despite the prevailing belief that adult brain cells don't grow, a researcher at MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory reports in the Dec.

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MIT researcher finds neuron growth in adult brain

27 issue of Public Library of Science (PLoS) Biology that structural remodeling of neurons does in fact occur in mature brains.

This finding means that it may one day be possible to grow new cells to replace ones damaged by disease or spinal cord injury, such as the one that paralyzed the late actor Christopher Reeve.

"Knowing that neurons are able to grow in the adult brain gives us a chance to enhance the process and explore under what conditions -genetic, sensory or other -- we can make that happen," said study coauthor Elly Nedivi, the Fred and Carole Middleton Assistant Professor of Neurobiology.

While scientists have focused mostly on trying to regenerate the long axons damaged in spinal cord injuries, the new finding suggests targeting a different part of the cell: the dendrite. A dendrite, from the Greek word for tree, is a branched projection of a nerve cell that conducts electrical stimulation to the cell body.

"We do see relatively large-scale growth" in the dendrites, Nedivi said.

"Maybe we would get some level of improvement (in spinal cord patients) by embracing dendritic growth." The growth is affected by use, meaning the more the neurons are used, the more likely they are to grow, she said.

The study's co-authors -- Nedivi; Peter T. So, an MIT professor of mechanical and biological engineering; Wei-Chung Allen Lee, an MIT brain and cognitive sciences graduate student; and Hayden Huang, a mechanical engineering research affiliate -- used a method called twophoton imaging to track specific neurons over several weeks in the sur-

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face layers of the visual cortex in living mice. While many studies have focused on the pyramidal neurons that promote firing, this work looked at all types of neurons, including interneurons, which inhibit the activity of cortical neurons.

With the help of technology similar to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), but at a much finer, cellular resolution, the researchers were able to stitch together two-dimensional slices to create the first 3-D reconstruction of entire neurons in the adult cortex. Dendritic branch tips were measured over weeks to evaluate physical changes.

What the researchers saw amazed them.

In 3-D time-lapse images, the brain cells look like plants sprouting together. Some push out tentative tendrils that grow around or retract from contact with neighboring cells. Dendrite tips that look like the thinnest twigs grow longer. Of several dozen branch tips, sometimes only a handful changed; in all, 14 percent showed structural modifications.

Sometimes no change for weeks was followed by a growth spurt. There were incremental changes, some as small as seven microns, the largest a dramatic 90 microns.

"The scale of change is much smaller than what goes on during the critical period of development, but the fact that it goes on at all is earth-shattering," Nedivi said. She believes the results will force a change in the way researchers think about how the adult brain is hard-wired.

Nedivi had previously identified 360 genes regulated by activity in the adult brain that she termed candidate plasticity genes or CPGs. Her group found that a surprisingly large number of CPGs encode proteins in charge

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of structural change. Why are so many of these genes "turned on" in the adult well after the early developmental period of dramatic structural change?

The neuroscience community has long thought that whatever limited plasticity existed in the adult brain did not involve any structural remodeling, mostly because no such remodeling was ever detected in excitatory cells. Yet evidence points to the fact that adult brains can be functionally plastic. In response to the CPG data, Nedivi and Lee revisited this question with the help of So and Huang.

By applying an innovative new imaging technology that allows monitoring of neuronal structural dynamics in the living brain, they found evidence for adult neuronal restructuring in the less-known, less-accessible inhibitory interneurons.

"Maybe the inhibitory network is where the capacity is for large-scale changes," Nedivi said. "What's more, this growth is tied to use, so even as adults, the more we use our minds, the more robust they can be."

FullText PDF http://biology.plosjournals.org/archive/1545-7885/4/2/pdf/ 10.1371_journal.pbio.0040029-p-S.pdf Contact: Elizabeth Thomson, Email: thomson@mit.edu OUTDOORLINKS:

Homepage Elly Nedivi

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Semantic descriptors to help the hunt for music

http://web.mit.edu/bcs/people/nedivi.shtml FullText PDF http://biology.plosjournals.org/archive/1545-7885/4/2/pdf/ 10.1371_journal.pbio.0040029-p-S.pdf

Semantic descriptors to help the hunt for music Source: www.alphagalileo.org/04 January 2006 http://www.alphagalileo.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=readrelease&releaseid=509732 You like a certain song and want to hear other tracks like it, but donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know how to find them?

Ending the needle-in-a-haystack problem of searching for music on the Internet or even in your own hard drive is a new audio-based music information retrieval system.

Currently under development by the SIMAC project, it is a major leap forward in the application of semantics to audio content, allowing songs to be described not just by artist, title and genre but by their actual musical properties such as rhythm, timbre, harmony, structure and instrumentation.

This allows comparisons between songs to be made and listeners to find little-known tracks that suit their tastes but may otherwise go unnoticed.

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Semantic descriptors to help the hunt for music

“The music world is highly commercial and only the works of the biggest artists are really well known and widely promoted,” notes SIMAC project manager Xavier Serra at Barcelona’s Pompeu Fabra University.

“Something like 10 per cent of music accounts for 90 per cent of music sales, while the remaining 90 per cent accounts for just 10 per cent of sales – this system could therefore herald a revolution for little-known music and artists.”

Technologically, the project has made significant progress toward bridging the so-called ‘semantic gap’ in audio content.

Existing classification systems, such as those used to generate play lists on popular PC media players and MP3 devices, are based on low-level description techniques using text data about the artist, the track, album and genre.

Users can find other tracks by the same artist, from the same album or within the same genre but there is no guarantee that the songs will be anything but remotely alike.

Alternatively, websites and online stores selling music often provide recommendations to users based on their personal preferences and the past purchases they and other customers have made.

“The ‘since you bought this artist, you might also want to buy this one, as other customers with a similar profile did’ method is not that effective, however, because there may be similar songs out there but if they haven’t been bought that much they won’t appear as a recommendation,” Serra says.

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Semantic descriptors to help the hunt for music

The SIMAC approach, which incorporates machine learning, signal processing and musical knowledge as well as text retrieval, overcomes these problems by using a technique to describe music by its actual properties and characteristics. The musical facets of songs are analysed and the tracks are automatically tagged by an annotator. This then allows them to be organised based on the similarities between them within a music surfer programme.

“The technique represents a major advancement over the existing methods used by audio software,” Serra notes. “It improves the way users can organise, navigate and visualise audio files and how they can interact with music on their audio player, PC or the Internet.”

Another component of the system is a music recommender for users to obtain recommendations that really interest them about new or old songs from online stores. Called FoaFing the Music, it uses not only the musical characteristics of songs to recommend similar ones but also the users’ profile, their past purchasing history and what has been written about the songs in website news and reviews. It is based on the Friend of a Friend (FoaF) concept that draws on information from thousands of machinereadable Web pages via RSS feeds.

The prototype has drawn “positive feedback” from trial users, according to Serra, and commercial interest in the SIMAC project, which ends in March, is high.

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Semantic descriptors to help the hunt for music

“The system offers evident advantages to users in the way they can find and interact with music, and big benefits to artists, producers and the music content industry as a whole,” he notes.

“Lesser known artists and small production companies who don’t have big promotional budgets should benefit in particular because it will increase their visibility and the accessibility of their content.”

The system could also be a boon to the software and consumer electronics industries, Serra predicts, noting that there is extensive interest in employing the annotation and music surfing techniques in Internet music sites, PC software and portable devices.

Project partner Philips is currently developing an MP3 player incorporating audio analysis components and one SIMAC component has already been licensed to mSoft, a US company that will use it to search library music to find authorless tracks and sound effects that cannot be categorised using traditional methods.

“Though we were originally planning to set up a spin-off company to exploit the project results, we’re now looking to collaborate with other firms to introduce our technology into existing products and others that are still in development,” Serra says.

SIMAC Contact: Xavier Serra, Email: xserra@iua.upf.edu OUTDOORLINKS:

SIMAC project http://www.semanticaudio.com/

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The feelSpace Study Project

Xavier Serra http://www.iua.upf.es/~xserra/

The feelSpace Study Project Source: http://www.cogsci.uni-osnabrueck.de/%7Efeelspace/downloads/ feelSpace_finalReport.pdf Introduction The aim of the feelSpace pro ject was to investigate the effects of longterm stimulation with orientation information on humans.

In order to do this, we constructed a belt which enables its user to feel his orientation in space via vibrotactile stimulation.

This belt is equipped with a set of vibrators controlled by an electronic compass: it is always the element pointing north which is slightly vibrating.

That way, the person wearing the belt is provided with permanent input about his heading relative to the earthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s magnetic field.

In humans, there is no natural sensory organ providing this kind of information. The central questions were concerned about how environmental information, not yet provided by an existing sensory organ, would influence the human nervous system.

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Long Chaotic Transients in Complex Networks

Would this information be utilizable?

If so, would it take conscious effort to use it, or would it be â&#x20AC;&#x201C; somehow integrated, to allow for its sub-cognitive use?

If the latter be the case, what would be the nature of integration?

What would be the sub jective quality of it?

Would it be that of a tactile stimulation or something else, yet unperceived?

Would we have even have created created a new modality after providing access to a yet unknown domain of sensory information and its hypothetical qualitative novelties?

To read the FullText please go to http://www.cogsci.uni-osnabrueck.de/%7Efeelspace/downloads/ feelSpace_finalReport.pdf OUTDOORLINKS:

Peter KĂśnig http://www.cogsci.uni-osnabrueck.de/~NBP/peterhome.html FeelSpace http://feelspace.de/en/index.html

Long Chaotic Transients in Complex Networks

By Alexander Zumdieck, Marc Timme,1Theo Geisel and Fred Wolf

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Long Chaotic Transients in Complex Networks

Source:

http://www.chaos.gwdg.de/downloads/publications/

timme2004c.pdf DOI:

10.1103/PhysRevLett.93.244103

PACS

numbers:

05.45.Xt,

87.10.+e, 89.75.â&#x20AC;&#x201C;k We show that long chaotic transients dominate the dynamics of randomly diluted networks of pulsecoupled oscillators.

This contrasts with the rapid convergence towards limit cycle attractors found in networks of globally coupled units.

The lengths of the transients strongly depend on the network connectivity and vary by several orders of magnitude, with maximum transient lengths at intermediate connectivities.

The dynamics of the transients exhibit a novel form of robust synchronization.

An approximation to the largest Lyapunov exponent characterizing the chaotic nature of the transient dynamics is calculated analytically.

To Read more go to FullText-PDF http://www.chaos.gwdg.de/downloads/publications/timme2004c.pdf OUTDOORLINKS:

Fred Wolf http://www.chaos.gwdg.de/ Long Chaotic Transients in Complex Networks (PDF)

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Sharon's Sons Use Music to Help Father

http://www.chaos.gwdg.de/downloads/publications/timme2004c.pdf Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Gรถttingen http://www.bccn-goettingen.de

Sharon's Sons Use Music to Help Father

By ARON HELLER Source: Associated Press /MUSTHP-L:9965/15. Januar 2006 MUSTHP-L@listproc.cc.ku.edu Ariel Sharon's sons have been playing Mozart and Israeli folk tunes by their ailing father's bedside, hoping he'll show some reaction, however faint.

Music can be an effective tool in stirring patients who've undergone traumas such as the 77-year-old Israeli leader's stroke, some experts say.

Sharon, who suffered a massive stroke Jan. 4, is known to love classical music. His sons, Omri and Gilad, have been playing it for him at the behest of doctors, said Ron Krumer, an official at Hadassah Hospital.

Aside from Mozart, one of Sharon's favorite Israeli songs, "The King's Bride," an ode to Israel by folk singer Rivka Zohar, is being played for the ailing leader. In an interview with Channel 2 on Tuesday, Zohar said she was honored and hoped her music would help Sharon.

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Sharon's Sons Use Music to Help Father

"I think there is something even in an unconscious man that is still awake. I am not a doctor but I think warmth and goodwill will help a lot.

A song can't harm, it can only help," she said.

Experts agreed.

"There is evidence of people emerging from comas and saying they remember the music" played to them, said Dr. Dorit Amir, who directs Israel's only college-level music therapy department, at Bar-Ilan University outside Tel Aviv.

Amir defines music therapy as "the conscious application of music and its elements such as rhythm, melody and harmony in order to achieve therapeutic goals" such as healing the sick.

The music of Mozart is said to be particularly therapeutic. Some researchers have posited that listening to Mozart can increase brain development in children under age 3, a controversial finding dubbed the "Mozart effect."

Amir said music often helps post-comatose patients recover and sometimes is used with those in Sharon's condition as well. She insisted music can enter the soul and "wake one up."

"Of course, we all hope he (Sharon) recovers from this, and if he does it will be very interesting to ask him" if he remembers the music, she said.

Just this week, the family of the sole survivor of a coal mine explosion in West Virginia played Metallica and Hank Williams Jr. in hopes of helping the young miner recover.

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Yuval Naveh, an Israeli occupational therapist, told Channel 2 that people he had worked with after strokes responded positively to Mozart and also to their personal favorites. The fact that Sharon's favorite composer was Mozart could have a "double effect," he said.

If that doesn't help, Avi Yaffe, a soldier who served under Sharon in the 1973 Yom Kippur war, sent the prime minister's secretary a recording he saved of radio traffic from that war ? hoping Sharon would recall one of his finest hours.

"I don't know the state of his brain, but if there is something that can wake him, this is it," he said.

Did our ancestors breathe through their ears?

Source:

http://www.expertsvar.nu/publicIn-

dex.asp?page=10&fromPage=public&lang=2&PRID=5905 A fossil fish skull from Latvia that researchers from Uppsala University, Sweden, describe in this weeks issue of Nature shows that the earliest land animals probably breathed through their ears.

"It looks as if the first step in the evolution of the middle ear had nothing to do with hearing. Our forebears developed ears in order to breathe through them," says Professor Per Ahlberg.

The human sense of hearing is based on the interaction of two different organs: the inner ear and the middle ear. The inner ear contains sensory cells that capture sound vibrations and send them on as nerve impulses to the brain. The middle ear is an ingenious mechanical audio amplifier that captures the weak sound vibrations in the air with a membrane (the earOdds and ends - themes and trends

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drum), amplifies them with a leverage system (ear bones) and sends them on to the inner ear. Without the middle ear, the inner ear would not function.

All vertebrates have inner ears, but the middle ear exists only in land animals. Fish dont need middle ears since sound vibrations are stronger in water and easily pass through the body of a fish.

The construction of the middle ear differs, however, among different groups of land animals: mammals have an eardrum and three ear bones (hammer (malleus), anvil (incus), and stirrup (stapes)), while birds, reptiles, and frogs have only one ear bone (stirrup) that connects the eardrum directly to the inner ear.

But it is questionable whether the eardrums in mammals, reptiles, and frogs are identical or whether they arose independently of each other.

A comparison with fish muddies the picture even further: instead of middle ears, fish have a little gill, the blow-hole, that isnt covered by an eardrum but rather forms an open canal between the throat and the outside of the head.

The equivalent of the stirrup, the hyomandibula, supports the gill lid but has no contact with the inner ear. Neither the hyomandibula nor the blowhole plays any role in hearing.

These differences make it difficult to understand how the middle ear arose. How could evolution change both the structure and function of the fishesâ&#x20AC;&#x161; blow-hole so radically?

Did the earliest land animals have a sound amplifying middle ear at all?

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The earliest fossil land vertebrates or tetrapods, like Acanthostega from Greenland (that lived roughly 360 million years ago), had a stirrup that was in contact with the inner ear, but it was large and clumsy and appears not to have been connected to the eardrum.

They also had a couple of round Œoutlets‚ in the rear edge of the skull: in modern frogs the corresponding outlet is the fastening point for the eardrum, but in fish it is the site of the outer opening of the blow-hole. This combination of characteristics has led to the hypothesis that the earliest land animals still had open blow-holes and perhaps breathed through them.

The Uppsala scientists‚ new data strongly support this hypothesis. The information comes from the skull of a Panderichthys from Latvia, the fossil fish that is closest to the emergence of land animals.

It has been known that Panderichthys had a hyomandibula, and it was generally assumed that its blow-hole was of the normal fish type.

But this is not the case: in actual fact the hole is similar to the middle ear‚ of a tetrapod like Acanthostega. Since the hyomandibula of the Panderichthys had no contact with the inner ear, its blow-hole could hardly have had a sound-amplification function.

"Thus the transformation of the form of the blow-hole must have been caused by another driving force than the improvement of hearing," says Per Ahlberg.

Compared with closely related fish, the blow-hole in Panderichthys has a considerably larger diameter and is furthermore both shorter and straighter.

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It looks like an adaptation to active breathing (of either water or air) through the blow-hole, compared with ordinary‚ fish in which only a small portion of breathing water passes through this hole.

A similar adaptation can be seen in modern rays, which have a very large blow-hole.

Since the middle ear‚ in the earliest tetrapods has the same form as the blow-hole‚ in Panderichthys, it seems likely that they retained the breathing function.

But in tetrapods the gill lid is gone and the hyomandibula is transformed into a primitive stirrup.

The fact that the stirrup has contact with the inner ear indicates that a rudimentary hearing function had also been added.

"We can speculate about how this came about. The blow-hole of a fish can be closed by a valve muscle on top. If an early tetrapod did the same thing, a truly enclosed middle ear was temporarily created, where the stirrup, which probably supported the wall of the middle ear, could forward vibrations from the middle ear to the inner ear. When the hearing function eventually became more important, the blow-hole was permanently closed by an eardrum," reasons Per Ahlberg.

Contacts: Martin.Brazeau, Email: Martin.Brazeau@ebc.uu.se Per Ahlberg, Email: Per.Ahlberg@ebc.uu.se The article is being published in Nature on January 19.

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Mommy´s Brain

OUTDOORLINKS:

Martin Brazeau http://lancelet.blogspot.com/ Per Ahlberg http://www.geol.lu.se/bgg/eng/personal/pera.html

Mommy´s Brain Research in animals shows that motherhood changes the brain

By Lindsay Carswell Source: Lindsay Carswell/www.sciencentral.com/01.24.06 http://www.sciencentral.com/articles/view.php3?article_id=218392727 We all know motherhood changes the body. But research in animals shows it also changes the brain.

Parental Complexity Coping day or night with the demands of a new born baby and worrying over every cough and sniffle are just in a day's work for parents, but it's something that people without kids often find hard to imagine being able to do… until they have kids of their own that is.

So where do that cool head, that parenting instinct and those coping skills just materialize from?

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Sleep-deprived new mothers might find it hard to believe, but having kids may actually make you sharper. Brain researcher Kelly Lambert says that, at least in rodents, pregnancy and parenting change the brain and behavior in ways that go beyond nursing and nurturing.

"From what we've seen, having a whole different being to take care of requires a whole new set of skills and a lot more awareness, cognitive awareness and multi-tasking," explains Lambert, professor and Chair of the psychology department at Randolph-Macon College.

As Lambert and her collaborator Craig Kinsley, of the University of Richmond, wrote in Scientific American, mother rats outperform nonmothers at searching for food.

Lambert found that the mother rats' brains have increased complexity in an area involved in this type of memory. "They have a wonderful search strategy and we don't see these in the animals that have never been moms, our virgin rats," she explains. The moms are also bolder than nonmoms at exploring the winding passages of an elevated maze.

"When I was expecting my first baby I had to read books and go to the hospital to take classes," she says. "I was amazed when I would look at the cages where these rat moms knew immediately what to do as soon as they started having these pups."

In most of the mammalian models they looked at, the female is a single mom. "The dads don't hang around to take care of the pups, so she has to go beyond the nest to forage, to find food for her pups," Lambert explains. "In our rodent models the moms have 13 or 14 pups, so this has

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a lot of energy demands for the momâ&#x20AC;Ś they needed to explore and get back, and we know that moms defend their nest."

Lambert, Kinsley and others have shown some brain changes are triggered by the surges of hormones that accompany motherhood, and they last into old age. "A day of exposure to these hormones results in increased complexity in these neurons, or nerve cells, in the hippocampus," says Lambert. "So we were thinking that if this happens just over the course of several hours, then what happens when the female actually goes through pregnancy, and she's exposed to these higher levels of hormone associated with a pregnancy for a lot longer period of time."

"Perhaps the hormones associated with pregnancy and lactation and motherhood kind of prime the brain so that it can respond to the changes, the many changes, that are about to happen as an animal becomes a mom," she says.

Changes like being exposed to those needy offspring. Could that alone alter the brain? Lambert showed it could, by giving pups to rats that weren't mothers. She found the same mental benefits in a species of mice in which the dads help care for the pups.

"Right now it's looking like this is an enriching experience for the brain," she says.

Lambert has also found that mother rats have lower levels of stress hormones, and less of the substance that forms toxic brain plaques in Alzheimer's disease. "So there might be some neural benefits with aging in a sense that this experience, maybe not unlike other enriched environments, may provide a buffer or some protection against some of these

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Music proves therapeutic for seniors

neurodegenerative disorders that animals and humans get in old age," she says.

While the researchers plan to look for similar effects in people, the research so far goes to show that although it may sometimes feel like it, parenting is much more than a rat race.

Lambert's work was published in the August 2005 issue of Behavioral Neuroscience and was featured in Scientific American, January 2006. It was funded by the National Institutes of Health, Randolph-Macon College, and the University of Richmond.

OUTDOORLINKS:

Kelly G. Lambert http://www.rmc.edu/directory/academics/psyc/klambert.asp Craig Kinsley http://www.richmond.edu/%7Eckinsley/ Randolph-Macon College http://www.rmc.edu/

Music proves therapeutic for seniors Dancing, instruments help many mentally and physically

By IN-SUNG YOO Source: http://www.delawareonline.com/01/24/2006

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Music proves therapeutic for seniors

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060124/ HEALTH/601240310/-1/NEWS12 As Cindy Cordrey prepares for her music therapy class at the senior adult day program at Elwyn Delaware, 70-year-old Paddy Petrillo of Wilmington chimes in with a friendly request for "You Are My Sunshine."

Cordrey agrees to play the ditty -- one of Petrillo's favorites -- but only after her usual sing-song greetings to the group.

Soon, she is leading the seniors in some "seated" dance steps to the old swing tune "Little Brown Jug." Helen Lloyd, 79, of New Castle, swings her shoulders back and forth in perfect time, embellishing the simple calisthenics with her own flair. Later, the group members are handed percussion instruments so they can make a little music of their own.

This is no idle entertainment. This is rehabilitation in the guise of recreation, said Cordrey, who has been practicing music therapy since 1982.

Some of the seniors at the Wilmington center -- which offers activities and supervision for seniors with a range of mental and physical conditions -- are recovering from strokes, which can lead to impaired speech and muscle control. Others are coping with dementia or developmental disorders. Music, it seems, can sometimes aid in their rehabilitative therapy by training healthy parts of the brain to compensate for less able areas, helping people regain lost function, Cordrey said.

"The music is like a skeleton," she said. "Other things kind of build upon it."

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Music proves therapeutic for seniors

The rhythm and familiarity of songs are thought to play a role in reinvigorating the connections in the brain that translate mental commands into physical actions. Dancing and playing instruments such as drums and maracas encourage physical activity and help develop coordination.

Striking the keys on a glockenspiel with a small mallet enhances fine motor skills. And a song from the past may help improve responsiveness for individuals suffering from the disorientation of dementia, Cordrey said.

Just as important is the social aspect of the music-making experience, Cordrey said. Impairment from an illness or injury can leave a person withdrawn and unsure of how he will be perceived by others. And fear of re-injury can restrict activity.

"There's a grieving that's part of realizing they're not going to be able to do the things they used to," Cordrey said. "But they learn there are other things they can do."

Through music therapy, people who might be scared of breaking a hip again are brought to their feet. The shy are drawn into the spotlight. And sharing in the creative process of making music shows them all that they can still contribute.

The choice of music depends on the audience, Cordrey said. No one kind of music works for everyone, so engaging the participants is always the first step. Instruments also are tailored to the audience. Some participants have the necessary muscle control to grasp and shake a maraca. Those who don't are offered a bell rope.

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Music proves therapeutic for seniors

Signs of improvement may be as subtle as the tap of a toe, Cordrey said.

Rhythmic and steady, that little bit of movement may not seem like much. But for someone recovering from a stroke or coping with a condition like multiple sclerosis, it's real progress. Wiggling the toe today might lead to shaking the foot tomorrow, Cordrey said.

Modern music therapy came about during World War II, said Al Bumanis, director of communications for the American Music Therapy Association.

At Veterans Administration hospitals, doctors noticed that soldiers who returned from the war with shell shock seemed to respond positively to music, Bumanis said. Since then, music therapy has been used to treat motion and speech disorders in people with physical disabilities, Parkinson's disease, post-stroke paralysis and autism, and coma patients. It also has been found to improve sleep and decrease agitation in Alzheimer's patients, he said.

"Most people don't know we've been around since 1950," Bumanis said.

"It isn't a new-age, flash-in-the-pan kind of thing."

Donna Stowell, intake coordinator of social services at Elwyn Delaware, said she has seen dramatic results since Cordrey started working with the senior day program at the center.

She recalled a patient recovering from a stroke who had become very withdrawn. For months he didn't even communicate with his wife. But a week after starting music therapy, he surprised his wife one day by wishing her a good morning, Stowell said.

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Spontaneous Pain, Both Neuropathic and Inflammatory, Is Related to Frequency

"It just reaches people on such deep levels," she said. "It reaches their souls."

Not everyone responds to therapy, Cordrey said. But she sees progress at almost every session. When the breakthroughs come, they strengthen her belief that just under the visible frailty and limitations of her clients lie the same spirited individuals that were there before their health took a turn.

"Every day when I'm with a group, it validates what I do," she said. "It's like uncovering a treasure."

Spontaneous Pain, Both Neuropathic and Inflammatory, Is Related to Frequency of Spontaneous Firing in Intact C-Fiber Nociceptors

By Laiche Djouhri, Stella Koutsikou, Xin Fang, Simon McMullan, and Sally N. Lawson Source: www.jneurosci.org/ January 25, 2006 http://www.jneurosci.org/cgi/content/abstract/26/4/1281 The Journal of Neuroscience, January 25, 2006, 26(4):1281-1292; doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3388-05.2006 Spontaneous pain, a poorly understood aspect of human neuropathic pain, is indicated in animals by spontaneous foot lifting (SFL).

To determine whether SFL is caused by spontaneous firing in nociceptive neurons, we studied the following groups of rats: untreated; spinal nerve

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Spontaneous Pain, Both Neuropathic and Inflammatory, Is Related to Frequency

axotomy (SNA), L5 SNA 1 week earlier; mSNA (modified SNA), SNA plus loose ligation of the adjacent L4 spinal nerve with inflammationinducing chromic gut; and CFA (complete Freund’s adjuvant), intradermal complete Freund’s adjuvant-induced hindlimb inflammation 1 and 4 d earlier.

In all groups, recordings of SFL and of spontaneous activity (SA) in ipsilateral dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons (intracellularly) were made.

Evoked pain behaviors were measured in nerve injury (SNA/mSNA) groups.

Percentages of nociceptive-type C-fiber neurons (C-nociceptors) with SA increased in intact L4 but not axotomized L5 DRGs in SNA and mSNA (to 35%), and in L4/L5 DRGs 1–4 d after CFA (to 38–25%).

SFL occurred in mSNA but not SNA rats. It was not correlated with mechanical allodynia, extent of L4 fiber damage [ATF3 (activation transcription factor 3) immunostaining], or percentage of L4 C-nociceptors with SA. However, L4 C-nociceptors with SA fired faster after mSNA (1.8 Hz) than SNA (0.02 Hz); estimated L4 total firing rates were 5.0 and 0.6 kHz, respectively.

Similarly, after CFA, faster L4 C-nociceptor SA after 1 d was associated with SFL, whereas slower SA after 4 d was not.

Thus, inflammation causes L4 C-nociceptor SA and SFL. Overall, SFL was related to SA rate in intact C-nociceptors.

Both L5 degeneration and chromic gut cause inflammation. Therefore, both SA and SFL/spontaneous pain after nerve injury (mSNA) may result from cumulative neuroinflammation.

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Giving déjà vu a second look

Correspondence should be addressed to Dr. Laiche Djouhri, Email: L.Djouhri@bristol.ac.uk OUTDOORLINKS:

Sally N. Lawson http://www.bris.ac.uk/Depts/Physiology/new/pi/sally_lawson/ lawson_intro.htm

Giving déjà vu a second look Source: reporter.leeds.ac.uk/30 January 2006 http://reporter.leeds.ac.uk/513/s5.htm Many of us have experienced déjà vu - the unsettling sensation of knowing that a situation could not have been experienced, combined with the feeling that it has.

It is usually so fleeting that psychologists have until recently thought it impossible to study.

But for some people, the feeling of having been there before is a persistent sensation, making every day a ‘Groundhog Day’.

Psychologists from Leeds’ memory group are working with sufferers of chronic déjà vu on the world’s first study of the condition.

Dr Chris Moulin first encountered chronic déjà vu sufferers at a memory clinic.

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Giving déjà vu a second look

“We had a peculiar referral from a man who said there was no point visiting the clinic because he’d already been there, although this would have been impossible.”

The patient not only genuinely believed he had met Dr Moulin before, he gave specific details about the times and places of these ‘remembered’ meetings.

Déjà vu has developed to such an extent that he had stopped watching TV - even the news - because it seemed to be a repeat, and even believed he could hear the same bird singing the same song in the same tree every time he went out.

Chronic déjà vu sufferers are not only overwhelmed by a sense of familiarity for new experiences, they can provide plausible and complex justifications to support this.

“When this particular patient’s wife asked what was going to happen next on a TV programme he’d claimed to have already seen, he said ‘how should I know? I have a memory problem!’” Dr Moulin said.

For the first time, those who suffer chronic déjà vu can help provide sustained research into the problem.

“So far we’ve completed the natural history side of this condition - we’ve found ways of testing for it and the right clinical questions to ask.

The next step is obviously to find ways to reduce the problem,” he said.

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PhD student Akira O’Connor, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, is working with Dr Moulin to find ways of creating the phenomenon in the laboratory.

Akira has begun inducing déjà vu in Leeds students using hypnosis, asking students to remember words, hypnotising them to forget and then showing them the same word again to induce a feeling that they’ve seen it before.

The students are then asked to make subjective reports - how déjà vu actually feels - in addition to the data about what they can and cannot remember.

This new programme of research, the Cognitive Feelings Framework (CFF), is unique to the University, and is being conducted by Dr Moulin with ESRC professorial fellow Martin Conway.

“By considering subjective experience - feelings - from a cognitive science perspective, we hope to better understand everyday sensations like déjà vu, and also to help understand cognitive impairment, for example in older adults,” said Dr Moulin.

“People might suffer from chronic déjà vu, but be unwilling to discuss this with their doctor - any hint of ‘mental illness’ is, particularly to older people, a taboo subject.

But as soon as we found this first patient, we discovered that if you ask the right questions, you find other people have experienced the same thing.”

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Chronic déjà vu can be distressing to the point of causing depression, and some sufferers have been prescribed anti-psychotics.

But Dr Moulin’s group believe it is not a delusion, but a dysfunction of memory: “The challenge is to think about what this means. We can use it to examine the relationships between memory and consciousness.

“The exciting thing about these people is that they can ‘recall’ specific details about an event or meeting that never actually occurred. It suggests that the sensations associated with remembering are separate to the contents of memory, that there are two different systems in the brain at work.”

Dr Moulin believes a circuit in our temporal lobe fires up when we recall the past, creating the experience of remembering but also a ‘recollective experience’ – the sense of the self in the past.

In a person with chronic déjà vu this circuit is either overactive or permanently switched on, creating memories where none exist.

When novel events are processed, they are accompanied by a strong feeling of remembering.

A new collaboration launching this month with the University of York’s neuro-imaging lab will provide objective evidence to the subjective reports supplied by the CFF. “When examining someone’s subjective experience, it’s important to have an idea of whether their subjective account is comparable to other people’s,” said Dr Moulin. “The neuro-imaging facilities allow us to see if the same areas of brain are activated in different people when they Odds and ends - themes and trends

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Music and art therapy at The Source help both the young and old - Music is a

report certain subjective states. Ultimately, we may even be able to pinpoint the neural areas important for conscious states such as remembering.”

Dr Moulin is keen to develop a network of patients in Leeds and across the globe who experience chronic déjà vu. “We’re finding people all over the world with these problems.

Chronic déjà vu sufferers need the reassurance that they’re not alone, and we need them to help us learn more about who has it, what causes it, and why.”

For further information, please contact: Claire Jones, Email: c.c.jones@leeds.ac.uk OUTDOORLINKS:

Chris Moulin http://elgg.leeds.ac.uk/psccjam/weblog/ Economic and Social Research Council http://www.esrc.ac.uk/ESRCInfoCentre/index.aspx

Music and art therapy at The Source help both the young and old - Music is a powerful way to connect to feelings and to relax Quelle: /www.strausnews.com/ January 20, 2006 http://www.strausnews.com/articles/2006/01/20/warwick_advertiser/ news/23wa.txt Odds and ends - themes and trends

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”When we look at the body of evidence that the arts contribute to our society, it’s absolutely astounding. Music therapists are breaking down the walls of silence and affliction of autism, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.”

So said Michael Greene, president and CEO of National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences at the 1997 Grammy awards.

Certified Music Therapist Melinda M. Burgard, M.A., agrees - and she should know.

Since 1987, Burgard has been using music as a therapeutic tool for the elderly in their homes, assisted living facilities and nursing homes.

For people with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, music, especially familiar songs, can unlock memories.

Participation in music improves communication and can assist in overcoming withdrawal.

For individuals with acute and chronic pain, music therapy provides relief, induces relaxation and decreases anxiety.

Music also is a powerful way for connecting to feelings, expressing thoughts and overcoming isolation for a person suffering from depression.

“You don’t have to know how to play an instrument or read music to be a participant in music therapy,” said Burgard. “All one needs is an inclination to enjoy music and a need for therapeutic improvement.”

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Music and art therapy at The Source help both the young and old - Music is a

Burgard also holds a music therapy group for children ages four through eight on the Autism Spectrum.

Her main goals in that group are to increase socialization skills, speech, self-expression and self-esteem.

She also is proud to be in her 10th year of offering parent/child music classes for ages infant to four years old in the Warwick community.

Art and music go hand in hand. As with music, art and healing have always been connected, too.

Now neurophysiologists are saying that art, prayer and healing all come from the same source in the body.

Judith Duboff is a certified art therapist. She offers art therapy through The Source of the Healing Arts in Warwick.

“Art breaks through the fear that people experience when they are having difficulties and opens a space for joy to enter,” said Duboff.

“This then frees the immune system so it can relieve pain, heal depression and lift the spirit. The creative force takes a person into a sacred space where one can gain a new perspective on the situation.”

Art used for healing is a very powerful way to access deep insight into oneself - it is helpful to have support in this, Duboff added.An artist/therapist understands the symbolic language of artwork and can provide a safe place for a person to express him or herself artistically and process the results.

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Music and art therapy at The Source help both the young and old - Music is a

Art therapy works well with many of the other programs at The Source.

Art therapy sessions have been included in the cancer support group.

There will be art therapy in many of the upcoming programs as well, including trauma and wellness. Art therapy workshops are also being planned.

The Source of the Healing Arts, located on West Street in Warwick, is an integrative health programming combining 13 different modalities that work with traditional medical practices. Integrative health care focuses on healing, not the disease.

Started about two years ago by psychotherapist Barbara Priestner-Werte, The Source of the Healing Arts Integrative Oncology Program is recognized by the American Cancer Society. Many of its services are covered by insurance.

To learn more about The Source of the Healing Arts, call 986-1977 or check the Web site at www.sourceofhealingarts.com.

OUTDOORLINKS:

Melinda Burgard http://www.geocities.com/melindas_music/ The Source of the Healing Arts http://www.sourceofhealingarts.com/ CEO of National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences http://www.interactive.org/Dice/speakers2004.asp

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Are Dancers Genetically Different Than the Rest of Us?

Are Dancers Genetically Different Than the Rest of Us? Yes, Says Hebrew University Researcher Source: http:www.alphagalileo.org/i01 February 2006 http://www.alphagalileo.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=readrelease&releaseid=510176 What makes dancers different than the rest of us?

Genetic variants, says a researcher at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

In a study published in the American journal, Public Library of Science Genetics, Psychology Prof. Richard P. Ebstein and his research associates have shown, through DNA examination, that dancers show consistent differences in two key genes from the general population.

Ebstein is the head of the Hebrew University Psychology Departmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Scheinfeld Center for Human Genetics in the Social Sciences.

This finding is not surprising, says Ebstein, in view of other studies of musicians and athletes, which also have shown genetic differences.

Ebstein and his colleagues found in an examination of 85 dancers and advanced dancing students in Israel variants of two genes that provide the code for the serotonin transporter and arginine vasopressin receptor 1a.

Both genes are involved in the transmission of information between nerve cells. The serotonin transporter regulates the level of serotonin, a

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Are Dancers Genetically Different Than the Rest of Us?

brain transmitter that contributes to spiritual experience, among many other behavioral traits.

The vasopressin receptor has been shown in many animal studies to modulate social communication and affiliative bonding behaviors. Both are elements involved in the age-old human social expression of dancing.

The genetic evidence was corroborated by two questionnaires distributed by the researchers to the dancers.

One is the Tellegen Absorption Scale (TAS), that correlates aspects of spirituality and altered states of consciousness, and the other is the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire (TPQ), a measure of the need for social contact and openness to communication.

The genetic and questionnaire results of the dancers were compared with those of two other groups examined â&#x20AC;&#x201C; athletes as well as those who were both non-dancers and non-athletes. (Athletes were chosen for comparison since they require a good deal of physical stamina like dancers.)

When the results were combined and analyzed, it was clearly shown that the dancers exhibited particular genetic and personality characteristics that were not found in the other two groups.

The dancer â&#x20AC;&#x153;type,â&#x20AC;? says Ebstein, clearly demonstrates qualities that are not necessarily lacking but are not expressed as strongly in other people: a heightened sense of communication, often of a symbolic and ceremonial nature, and a strong spiritual personality trait.

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Hour long whale songs woo females

Others involved in the research with Ebstein were his Ph.D. student Rachel Bachner- Melman, as well as additional researchers from Israel and France.

OUTDOORLINKS:

Richard P. Ebstein http://www.herzoghospital.org/index.asp?id=16

Hour long whale songs woo females Source: www.uq.edu.au/01 February 2006 http://www.uq.edu.au/news/index.html?article=8918 University of Queensland (UQ) researchers have discovered singing males spend more quality time with females who may be using the male's song as the basis for mate choice.

The researchers, UQ PhD student Joshua Smith, his supervisor, whale expert Dr Michael Noad from UQ's School of Veterinary Science, and volunteers have tracked whales off Peregian Beach, on Queensland's Sunshine Coast.

The UQ team has been observing and tracking the whales for the last three years as the whales migrate south from their breeding inside the Great Barrier Reef.

During September and October each year, they recorded whale behaviours, interactions, took genetic samples and used hydrophones (underwater microphones) to record male singers round-the-clock.

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Scientists had suspected that whale songs were used for female attraction and male repulsion, but the UQ team was the first to provide a range of evidence that linked to courtship.

“Songs appear to be directed more towards females possibly as a courtship and mating display than a signal to warn off or repel rival males,” Mr Smith said.

“Singers are joining females with calves more often and singing for a much longer duration with them than any other social group.

“The characteristics of the song are possibly being used by the female to assess these males.

“The way they structure the songs, perhaps using particular elements like higher or lower frequencies and how well they do that could reflect attributes of that male such as his fitness, maybe his age.”

Mr Smith said male whales sang mostly in the presence of females but the songs also attracted other males too.

He said the songs were repetitive but structured, made up of chirps, moans and barks that could last for 10 minutes up to 23 hours.

“Their songs are basically broadcast signals that other whales and hydrophones can detect from at least fifteen or twenty kilometres away.”

The 27-year-old from Highgate Hill said he couldn't say the male songs were necessarily attracting females but the songs still helped sexual interaction.

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Dr Noad has also disproved a theory that whale songs regulated spacing between singing males.

Since 2002, the UQ Team has recorded more than a thousand hours of whales' songs. This is stored as 400GB of data â&#x20AC;&#x201D; enough to fill about five computer hard drives.

Mr Smith and Dr Noad's research has been part of an international project called the Humpback Acoustic Research Collaboration (HARC).

It's a joint project for American and Australian scientists primarily funded by the United States Office of Naval Research but also by the Australian Defence Science and Technology Organisation.

Other contributors are the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the University of St Andrews and the University of Newcastle.

Mr Smith said he hoped to work in marine animal acoustics or with the Australian Antarctic Division when he finished his PhD in six months.

His PhD is also supervised by Associate Professor Anne Goldizen, an ecology expert from UQ's School of Integrative Biology.

OUTDOORLINKS:

Joshua Smith http://www.uq.edu.au/berg/josh/main.html Michael Noad http://www.uq.edu.au/vetschool/index.html?page=15732

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Wale sprechen Dialekt (mit Soundbeispiel)

Anne Goldizen http://profiles.bacs.uq.edu.au/Anne.Goldizen

Wale sprechen Dialekt (mit Soundbeispiel) http://www.spiegel.de/wissenschaft/erde/0,1518,393185,00.html Whalesong recorded in 2003 http://omc.uq.edu.au/audio/news/whalesong.mp3 School of Veterinary Science http://www.uq.edu.au/vetschool/index.html Humpback Acoustic Research Collaboration (HARC) http://www.mpl.ucsd.edu/people/deane/research/nearshore_HARC.html

Rats Smell in Stereo

By Raghav Rajan, James P. Clement, Upinder S. Bhalla Source:/www.sciencemag.org/3 February 2006 http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/311/5761/666 Vol. 311. no. 5761, pp. 666 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 670/DOI: 10.1126/science.1122096

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Rats Smell in Stereo

It has been hypothesized that rats and other mammals can use stereo cues to localize odor sources, but there is limited behavioral evidence to support this hypothesis.

We found that rats trained on an odor-localization task can localize odors accurately in one or two sniffs.

Bilateral sampling was essential for accurate odor localization, with internasal intensity and timing differences as directional cues.

If the stimulus arrived at the correct point of the respiration cycle, internasal timing differences as short as 50 milliseconds sufficed.

Neuronal recordings show that bulbar neurons responded differentially to stimuli from the left and stimuli from the right.

To whom correspondence should be addressed.

E-mail: bhalla@ncbs.res.in OUTDOORLINKS:

Upinder Bhalla http://www.ncbs.res.in/~faculty/upi.php Johan Lundstrรถm http://www.psyk.uu.se/hemsidor/olfaction/johan_lundstrom.htm

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Distinct memory traces for two visual features in the Drosophila brain

Distinct memory traces for two visual features in the Drosophila brain

By Gang Liu, Holger Seiler, Ai Wen, Troy Zars, Kei Ito, Reinhard Wolf, Martin Heisenberg and Li Liu Source: www.nature.com/2 February 2006 http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v439/n7076/abs/nature04381.html

Nature 439, 551-556 (2 February 2006) | doi:10.1038/nature04381 Abstract The fly Drosophila melanogaster can discriminate and remember visual landmarks.

It analyses selected parts of its visual environment according to a small number of pattern parameters such as size, colour or contour orientation, and stores particular parameter values.

Like humans, flies recognize patterns independently of the retinal position during acquisition of the pattern (translation invariance).

Here we show that the central-most part of the fly brain, the fan-shaped body, contains parts of a network mediating visual pattern recognition.

We have identified short-term memory traces of two pattern parametersâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;elevation in the panorama and contour orientation.

These can be localized to two groups of neurons extending branches as parallel, horizontal strata in the fan-shaped body.

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Altering expectancy dampens neural response to aversive taste in primary taste

The central location of this memory store is well suited to mediate translational invariance.

Correspondence to: Li Liu, Email: liuli@sun5.ibp.ac.cn OUTDOORLINKS:

Prof. Dr. Martin Heisenberg http://genetics.biozentrum.uni-wuerzburg.de/home/VirtualBrain/people/ martin.htm

Altering expectancy dampens neural response to aversive taste in primary taste cortex

By Jack B Nitschke, Gregory E Dixon, Issidoros Sarinopoulos, Sarah J Short, Jonathan D Cohen, Edward E Smith, Stephen M Kosslyn, Robert M Rose & Richard J Davidson Source: www.nature.com/5 February 2006 http://www.nature.com/neuro/journal/vaop/ncurrent/abs/nn1645.html Published online: 5 February 2006; | doi:10.1038/nn1645 The primary taste cortex consists of the insula and operculum. Previous work has indicated that neurons in the primary taste cortex respond solely to sensory input from taste receptors and lingual somatosensory receptors. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we show here that expectancy modulates these neural responses in humans. When subjects were led to believe that a highly aversive bitter taste would be less dis-

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Mmm, sounds tasty!

tasteful than it actually was, they reported it to be less aversive than when they had accurate information about the taste and, moreover, the primary taste cortex was less strongly activated. In addition, the activation of the right insula and operculum tracked online ratings of the aversiveness for each taste. Such expectancy-driven modulation of primary sensory cortex may affect perceptions of external events.

Correspondence should be addressed to Jack B Nitschke, Email: jnitschke@wisc.edu or Richard J Davidson, Email: rjdavids@wisc.edu OUTDOORLINKS:

Jack Nitschke http://psychiatry.wisc.edu/faculty/FacultyPages/Nitschke.htm

Mmm, sounds tasty!

Source: www.alphagalileo.org/07 February 2006 http://www.alphagalileo.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=readrelease&releaseid=510274 In a unique double discovery, researchers at the University of Leeds have shown that massive bursts of ultrasound are generated during the first second of biting into crunchy food â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and are simultaneously analysed by the ears and mouth.

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Mmm, sounds tasty!

Food physicist Professor Malcolm Povey explains: “Food is, in effect, talking to us and we innately understand what it’s saying about texture by interpreting the sensations through our ears and mouths. Our research shows that the sound and feel of food in the mouth is as important as taste, look and smell in deciding whether we like something or not.”

Using a microphone, an acoustic microscope, some simple software and an enviable supply of different biscuits, Professor Povey realised that the energy produced by the very first crack of a biscuit breaking is released as distinct pulses of ultrasound – sound waves beyond the range of human hearing.

Slowed down and plotted onto a graph, the pulses can be seen as a series of tall peaks, but actually last only for milliseconds and are generated at frequency levels more usually associated with bats, whales and dolphins for echolocation.

“It’s a good job we can’t hear all the energy in these pulses,” says Povey, “as they would damage our ears if we did. They’re enormously loud bangs – often way beyond safe decibel levels.”

The discovery of recordable ultrasound pulses is expected to be of great interest to the food manufacturers, who in the pursuit of the perfect crispy/crunchy texture for their products, employ an army of trained tasting panels. These people form the crux of manufacturers’ efforts at product consistency and quality control in terms of creating the optimum texture for a product.

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Mmm, sounds tasty!

The technique of recording the sound of biting or breaking crispy food and simply counting the peaks of soundwaves provides a cheap, quantifiable and accurate analysis of texture, that will ensure absolute product consistency: “The more peaks, the crispier it is – it’s as simple as that,” says Povey.

The research also demonstrates that the human mouth is extremely accurate in its innate analysis of these ultrasound pulses. Test results show a very high correlation to the machine-measured results by both professional tasters working in the food industry and untrained volunteers. “We had no idea that the human ears and mouth were so adept at capturing and analysing this information, especially in the space of milliseconds; it’s incredible,” he says.

“We’re not trying to replace tasting panels,” he insists, “in fact we need them to calibrate the instruments. But a machine-measured test is a quick and simple way to check consistency of products once the desired texture for a product has been decided. However, the research does suggest that the training of food tasters in respect of measuring crispness is probably unnecessary.”

Povey is convinced that the same ultrasound measuring techniques could potentially be applied to other textures in food manufacturing as well as having major applications outside the food industry.

“Essentially our methods measure what happens when a material fails,” explains Povey. “So this technique could easily be transferred to industry to detect failures in materials used in engineering or the aerospace industry, for instance.

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Loud music worsens effects of taking ecstasy

“Materials testing usually requires expensive equipment, but we’ve proved that recording, measuring and comparing sound pulses is rigorous and accurate. In the same way engineers used to tap wheels on railway engines to listen for faults, we can use these microphones to record a much wider frequency range to pick up tiny defects. Its potential is enormous.”

For further information, please contact: Hannah Love, Email: h.e.b.love@leeds.ac.uk OUTDOORLINKS:

Malcolm Povey http://www.foodcolloids.com/povey/index.htm

Loud music worsens effects of taking ecstasy Source: www.alphagalileo.org/10 February 2006 http://www.alphagalileo.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=readrelease&releaseid=510345 Loud music prolongs the effects of taking ecstasy for up to five days.

A study published today in the open access journal BMC Neuroscience shows that the reduction in rats’ brain activity induced by 3,4 -Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or ecstasy) lasts long after administration of the drug – up to five days – if loud music is played to them simultaneously.

The effects wear off within a day when no music is played.

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Loud music worsens effects of taking ecstasy

Michelangelo Iannone from the Institute of Neurological Science, Italy, and colleagues from University Magna Graecia in Catanzaro, Italy, injected rats with a low dose (3mg/kg) or a high dose (6mg/kg) of MDMA or, in the control group, with saline.

The rats were either left without acoustic stimulation or exposed to white noise - sound at a stable frequency that is used in many types of electronic music.

The sound was played at 95dB, the maximum noise intensity permitted in nightclubs by Italian law.

The electrocortical activity (EcoG spectrum) of the rats was monitored, using electrodes placed on their skull, from 60 minutes before administration of the drug and start of the music, to up to five days after the music was stopped.

Iannone et al.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s results show that low-dose MDMA did not modify the brain activity of the rats compared with saline, as long as no music was played.

However, the EcoG total spectrum of the rats given a low dose of MDMA significantly decreased once loud music was played. The EcoG spectrum of rats in the control group was not modified by loud music.

High-dose MDMA induced a reduction in brain activity, compared with both saline and low-dose MDMA. This reduction was enhanced once the loud music was turned on and lasted for up to five days after administration of the drug.

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The brain differentiates human and non-human grammars: Functional

In rats that had been given a high dose of MDMA but had not been exposed to music, brain activity returned to normal one day after administration of the drug.

To read Fulltext go to http://www.biomedcentral.com/imedia/ 8917874394882838_article.pdf?random=990460 OUTDOORLINKS:

Institute of Neurological Science, Italy http://www.isn.cnr.it/public/pagine_ita/index.asp Michelangelo Iannone http://www.isn.cnr.it/public/pagine_ita/personale_view.asp?codice=28

The brain differentiates human and non-human grammars: Functional localization and structural connectivity

By Angela D. Friederici, Jรถrg Bahlmann, Stefan Heim, Ricarda I. Schubotz and Alfred Anwander Source: www.pnas.org/February 6, 2006 http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/0509389103v1 The human language faculty has been claimed to be grounded in the ability to process hierarchically structured sequences.

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No Recipe for Superstardom

This human ability goes beyond the capacity to process sequences with simple transitional probabilities of adjacent elements observable in nonhuman primates.

Here we show that the processing of these two sequence types is supported by different areas in the human brain.

Processing of local transitions is subserved by the left frontal operculum, a region that is phylogenetically older than Broca's area, which specifically holds responsible the computation of hierarchical dependencies.

Tractography data revealing differential structural connectivity signatures for these two brain areas provide additional evidence for a segregation of two areas in the left inferior frontal cortex.

To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Angela D. Friederici, E-mail: angelafr@cbs.mpg.de OUTDOORLINKS:

Alfred Anwander http://www.informatik.uni-trier.de/~ley/db/indices/a-tree/a/Anwander:Alfred.html

No Recipe for Superstardom

By Mary Beckman Source: http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2006/209/3 ScienceNOW Daily News 9 February 2006

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No Recipe for Superstardom

For all those parents wondering why their teens are so devoted to scantily clad pop stars, take hope: It's not really the music that they like. They just want to fit in, according to new research.

The news isn't so encouraging for aspiring artists, though.

While talent might distinguish good from bad, social pressure and pure dumb luck are also big influences on which bands gain the most fame, sociologists report in the 10 February issue of Science.

Music industry professionals would dearly love to figure out what makes some bands skyrocket off the charts while equally--or more--talented musicians wallow in relative obscurity.

Obviously, they haven't been able to pin it down. (Neither have book publishers or movie producers, for that matter.)

Duncan Watts, a sociologist at Columbia University, and colleagues wanted to know whether peer pressure contributes to which bands go platinum. Can science do a better job of picking pop idols than the cold calculations of capitalists?

Watts started by collecting 48 songs from unknown but real bands listed on a garage band Web site (including tunes such as Beerbong's "Father to Son") and creating an experimental music site.

Visitors to the site were randomly assigned to a particular Web page.

On one of these, they could listen to any of the rock songs and rate them on a scale of 1 to 5, then download them for free if they liked.

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No Recipe for Superstardom

Some songs were downloaded much more than others, and because all the visitor's judgments were independent, the researchers defined these as good songs.

Other visitors ended up on one of eight Web pages that looked the same except for numbers next to each song listing the number of times previous visitors to that page had downloaded the song.

After tabulating the whims of 14,000 visitors, the researchers learned that there was some accounting for taste: Good songs always ranked high, and bad songs ranked low.

But when visitors had access to information about what other people were downloading, they were much more likely to download songs with high download rates, even if they weren't the highest quality, and pushed the highest-ranked ever closer toward superstardom.

This indicates that knowing what other people thought of the music influenced what people downloaded.

Moreover, success was random. Even though the eight Web pages started with the same 48 songs, different tunes hit the top 10 list in each.

The researchers could not predict which songs would reach success in one Web page by examining the results of another.

Stardom is indeed a crap shoot, Watts concludes.

So if the independent rankings show that there actually is some accounting for taste, why does it lose out to popularity?

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Instant replay may help to mould memories

"There's a social function to all of us liking the same thing," he speculates. "It's not the thing that's important, but having something to share."

Calling the experiments "pathbreaking," sociologist Michael Macy of Cornell University says the findings illustrate how a small advantage can snowball, making popularity hard to predict. Economist Robert Frank, also at Cornell, says the work shows "we're all susceptible to the herd mentality."

OUTDOORLINKS:

Matthew Salganik http://www.columbia.edu/~mjs2105/ Duncan Watts http://www.iserp.columbia.edu/people/faculty_fellows/watts.html Michael Macy http://www.soc.cornell.edu/faculty/macy.shtml

Instant replay may help to mould memories Brain's rewind function argues for taking a break.

By Helen Pearson Source: http://www.nature.com/news/2006/060206/full/060206-13.html Published online: 12 February 2006; | doi:10.1038/news060206-13 Š Getty

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Instant replay may help to mould memories

Idlers, loafers and layabouts, listen up.

A new study suggests that the times when we sit around twiddling our thumbs could in fact be vital for learning.

The idea stems from experiments in which neuroscientists eavesdropped on the brains of rats as they explored their environments.

They found that the rats' brains 'replay' their experiences in reverse when the animals pause briefly to rest.

The scientists, David Foster and Matthew Wilson working at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, inserted a pincushion of fine wires into the animals' skulls.

These allowed the team to simultaneously monitor the electrical activity of around 100 individual brain cells in the hippocampus, a brain region involved in learning and memory.

The researchers placed each wired-up rat in a straight 1.5-metre run.

They recorded brain-cell activity as the rats scurried up and down, pausing at each end to eat, groom and scratch their whiskers.

As the rats ran along the track, the nerve cells fired in a very specific sequence. This is not surprising, because certain cells in this region are known to be triggered when an animal passes through a particular spot in a space.

But the researchers were taken aback by what they saw when the rats were resting.

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Instant replay may help to mould memories

Then, the same brain cells replayed the sequence of electrical firing over and over, but in reverse and speeded up.

"It's absolutely original; no one has ever seen this before at all," says Edvard Moser, who studies memory at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim.

This instant replay could help the animals to learn about a recent place and what parts of it are most important, the investigators propose.

The rerun could coincide with a burst of the reward chemical dopamine, which is released in the brain when the animal finds food.

By playing the pattern of activity backwards, those brain cells nearest the food fire first and at the same time as the dopamine signal. The idea is that this might etch the position of the food into the rats' brains.

"It's saying, 'this is the place I want to be'," says Foster.

Time out If this idea proves true in people, it could have many implications for human learning.

It suggests that those idle times, perhaps spent gazing into space, are actually crucial for our brains to replay, and learn from, recent experiences.

The discovery could also help to explain why people tend to learn a new task quicker when they take short rests between each practice round. It suggests that eliminating such breaks could actually interfere with learn-

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Instant replay may help to mould memories

ing, and perhaps even explain why hyperactive children often have learning difficulties.

Wilson and his colleagues showed in earlier experiments that rats also replay firing patterns in their sleep, but in the same, forward-running order in which they were experienced.

This process could help to firm up memories after the fact, Foster says.

The result is also of keen interest to those who study artificial intelligence and try to teach computer systems or robots to learn through reward and punishment. Some such systems already work by playing back a sequence of moves so that the computer can identify at which point it made the trial or error.

"It's remarkable how it squares up with what we expected," says computational neuroscientist Read Montague at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas.

OUTDOORLINKS:

David Foster's Homepage http://stuff.mit.edu/people/djfoster/ Matthew Wilson http://web.mit.edu/picower/faculty/wilson.html Edvard Moser http://fens.mdc-berlin.de/people/moser.html Read

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Electrocortical effects of MDMA are potentiated by acoustic stimulation in rats

http://www.hnl.bcm.tmc.edu/faculty.html

Electrocortical effects of MDMA are potentiated by acoustic stimulation in rats

By Michelangelo Iannone, Stefania Bulotta, Donatella Paolino, Maria Cristina Zito, Santo Gratteri, Francesco Saverio Costanzo and Domenicantonio Rotiroti Source: www.biomedcentral.com/16 February 2006 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2202/7/13/abstract BMC Neuroscience 2006, 7:13 ABSTRACT

doi:10.1186/1471-2202-7-13

Background 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; ecstasy) is known for its toxicological, psychopathological and abuse potential.

Some environmental conditions, e.g. acoustic stimulation typical of the "rave scene" can influence the toxicity of this drug.

Results We investigated the effects of low doses of MDMA in vivo using Wistar rats in the absence of acoustic stimulation (white noise; 95 Db) demonstrating that ecstasy is able to induce a significant activation (reduction of Electrocortical total power) of the telencephalic cortex that spontaneously reverts in the absence of sensorial stimuli, whereas it persists for

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Conference: Music and Consciousness

several days if, in addition to MDMA, the animals are exposed to acoustic stimulation.

Conclusions Our data demonstrate that low doses of MDMA are able to reduce electrocortical total power, and that this effect is potentiated by sensorial stimuli commonly present in certain environments, such as rave parties.

OUTDOORLINKS:

Michelangelo Iannone Catanzaro http://www.cs.cnr.it/isn/catanzaro.html

Conference: Music and Consciousness 17th - 19th July 2006, University of Sheffield, UK Source: http://www.shef.ac.uk/music/staff/academic/eric-clarke/escom The last 10 years or so have seen the emergence of consciousness studies as a multi-disciplinary field of inquiry, partly driven by rapid developments in the neurosciences, but also stimulated by renewed interest within philosophy and the arts and humanities more generally.

There is a long history of thought about the relationship between music and consciousness, and this conference is intended as a forum to bring together the diverse fields within which that thinking has gone on.

The aim of the conference is therefore to approach the subject in as broad and inclusive a manner as possible, to provide an opportunity to discover different ways in which the relationship has been theorised and

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Brain Controls Pain

described, and to propose some of the ways in which future research and practice might develop.

The conference will consist entirely of plenary sessions so as to enable the most inclusive and wide-ranging participation, and significant amounts of time will be allocated for discussion.

Following a large and very diverse response to the call for papers, the successful proposals have now been selected, and the schedule of papers and posters, together with registration and accommodation details, will soon be posted on the website.

The change of date is to accommodate a larger number of presentations than we had anticipated, and to make it possible for the conference to be residential allowing for a greater degree of interaction between delegates.

OUTDOORLINKS:

Conference - Music and Consciousness http://www.shef.ac.uk/music/staff/academic/eric-clarke/escom

Brain Controls Pain

by Jack Penland Source: www.sciencentral.com/17. February 2006 http://www.sciencentral.com/articles/view.php3?article_id=218392741 Scientists are finding that it truly is the brain that decides what is or is not painful. As this ScienCentral News video explains, scientists are also

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Brain Controls Pain

finding that there may be a way to teach people to train their brain to better handle pain.

Brain Over Pain Sean Mackey, associate Director for the Pain Management Division of Stanford University School of Medicine, found that if people could watch a certain part of their brains in action in real time, they could use that feedback to learn how to manage pain.

He calls it a case of, "Brain over pain."

"What's unique about this specific experiment," says Mackey, "is that this experiment, for the first time, studied a group of people and taught them to learn how to control their own brain, a specific region in their own brain. And by doing so, it changed their behaviorâ&#x20AC;Ś that's never been done before."

The specific part of the brain that is involved in pain perception and regulation is deep inside the brain. It's called the Rostral Anterior Cingulate Cortex (rACC). It was that part Mackey and his team wanted people to watch.

People were put in an MRI scanner similar to those used to scan parts of the body for injuries. However this was a functional real-time MRI scanner, which allowed people, according to Mackey, "To then see their own brain activity on a moment by moment basis."

Some of the people Mackey observed were patients who suffered chronic pain. Others were volunteers who agreed to endure a moderately painful hot probe touching them. While the volunteers were watching their own Odds and ends - themes and trends

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Brain Controls Pain

brains in action, the team then gave them various strategies on how to manage the pain.

"When people would focus their attention on the pain," says Mackey, "the activity in that part of the brain [the rACC] would go up. And when they would focus their attention away, they would see that the brain activity would go down." Mackey says that when people saw the brain activity change, "after a period of time they would learn to then take control of it themselves."

Writing in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences he said "the vast majority" of healthy volunteers either learned which strategy suggested by the researchers worked best or sometimes they came up with new strategies on their own.

"What's nice about this is that we demonstrated that not only people can control the area of their brain, but that with time that control improved, which means that there was learning involved. Which means, by definition, that there was neuroplasticity. In other words, that with repeated sessions people were actually changing their own brain."

While the results were encouraging, Mackey wondered if, "We just designed the world's most expensive placebo," referring to the phenomenon where people report feeling better when they believe they are being treated, even if the "treatment" is fake.

He added, "Let's face it, you've got an extraordinarily high-tech environment. You've got this big, expensive MRI system that's making all sorts of noise. We're telling people to go into this scanner and to control their

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Brain Controls Pain

brain activity and then with that we expected that there may be some change in how they perceived pain."

Mackey's team re-ran the experiments taking parts of the feedback chain away. One group got pain control instructions, but without the MRI scanner. A second got instructions and were inside the MRI scanner, but got no real time feedback. A third were told to observe in real time a part of the brain not involved in pain processing. A fourth, control group, underwent the process while watching someone else's brain activity.

Mackey says of all those groups, "The only sessionâ&#x20AC;Ś where they were able to learn how to control their own brain activity and see a change in their pain was with that real-time moment-by-moment information."

Not everyone was successful. Mackey says there were people who "were not significantly able to change their brain activity. And what we found is that they were also the people who tended not to be able to have significant control over their pain."

Those who suffer from chronic pain should not expect to see this method used for pain control anytime soon. In addition to being very expensive, Mackey says that right now the technology is, "not ready for prime time as a clinical treatment."

For one thing, they need to study the mechanism of exactly what went on for this control to happen. Mackey says, "People were just able to learn how to do it and that's what we're actually studying right now, is to figure out how they were able to do what they do."

In addition, they need to study the long-term benefits of this technique.

He says, "We're running the studies right now."

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Brain activity before an event predicts later recollection

But, what the study does show is what role the brain plays in determining what is or isn't painful. As Mackey puts it, "It's not pain until it hits your brain."

This research was published in the December 13, 2005 issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and was funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Oxnard Foundation, the Dodie and John Rosekrans Pain Research Fund, and the Stanford University Department of Anesthesia.

OUTDOORLINKS:

Sean Mackey http://paincenter.stanford.edu/faculty/mackey.html Pain Management Center at Stanford University http://paincenter.stanford.edu/ December 13, 2005 issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/102/51/18626

Brain activity before an event predicts later recollection

By Leun J Otten, Angela H Quayle, Sarah Akram, Thomas A Ditewig & Michael D Rugg Source: www.nature.com/26 February 2006;

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Scientists find brain function most important to maths ability

http://www.nature.com/neuro/journal/vaop/ncurrent/abs/nn1663.html doi:10.1038/nn1663 Neural activity elicited by an event can predict whether the event is successfully encoded into memory.

Here we assessed whether memory encoding relies not only on neural activity that follows an event, but also on activity that precedes it.

In two experiments we found that human brain activity elicited by a cue presented just before a word could predict whether the word would be recollected in a later memory test.

Correspondence should be addressed to Leun J Otten, Email: l.otten@ucl.ac.uk OUTDOORLINKS:

Leun Otten http://www.icn.ucl.ac.uk/Research-Groups/Cognitive%20Electrophysiology%20Group/group-members/MemberDetails.php?Title=Dr&FirstName=Leun&LastName=Otten

Scientists find brain function most important to maths ability Source: www.alphagalileo.org/06 March 2006 http://www.alphagalileo.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=readrelease&releaseid=510782

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Scientists find brain function most important to maths ability

Scientists at UCL (University College London) have discovered the area of the brain linked to dyscalculia, a maths learning disability.

The finding shows that there is a separate part of the brain used for counting that is essential for diagnosis and an understanding of why many people struggle with maths.

The paper, published online today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), explains that an area of the brain widely thought to be involved in processing number information generally, in fact has two very separate, specific functions.

One function is responsible for counting ‘how many’ things are present and the other is responsible for knowing ‘how much’.

It is the discovery of the part responsible for counting or numerosity that is a major finding for Professor Brian Butterworth, who also published ‘The Mathematical Brain’ and is an authority on dyscalculia.

He believes his finding is the key to diagnosis of dyscalculia.

Professor Butterworth, of the UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, said: “Now that we know where to look for the differences in brain activation between those who suffer from dyscalculia and those who don’t have the learning disorder, we will be able to come up with better diagnosis and insights.

“Some years ago, my colleague, Professor Uta Frith, found the part of the brain responsible for dyslexia. That discovery has led to a much better understanding of the condition, promising better diagnosis and treatment.

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Scientists find brain function most important to maths ability

We hope our discovery will lead to similar insights into dyscalculia – a similar learning disability but one that is still relatively unknown to the general public.”

There were two experiments that looked at brain activity in the intraparietal sulcus (IPS) – the area known to be involved in processing number information - using an fMRI scan.

The first analysed brain activity when subjects were counting and the second looked at activity when they were assessing quantities.

Professor Butterworth said: “There are two ways of counting things.

Imagine assessing how many men versus women are in a room by counting them at the door as they enter the room, let’s say three women and four men, and then try assessing the difference by looking at the room when everyone is present.

Both methods of assessing the number of people should produce the same result.

Instead of assessing numbers of men and women, subjects saw blue and green squares shown in a sequence or blue and green squares shown on screen at the same time.

We found that both methods activated the same brain region.

“But when we showed subjects the colours merged and appearing either as a continuously changing square or as one cloudy coloured rectangle different results were produced and a different brain network lit up.

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Scientists find brain function most important to maths ability

This is because the brain was no longer able to try to count the objects.

Instead it had to assess how much colour was in the block and guess whether there was more of one colour or another. â&#x20AC;&#x153;By comparing these two types of stimulus, we identified the brain activity specific to estimating numbers of things. We think this is a brain network that underlies arithmetic and may be abnormal in dyscalculics.â&#x20AC;?

The project was supported by the European Union Research Training Network Grant and the Medical Research Council Centre Grant.

OUTDOORLINKS:

Brian Butterworth http://www.mathematicalbrain.com/ Professor Uta Frith http://www.icn.ucl.ac.uk/Staff-Lists/MemberDetails.php?Title=Prof&FirstName=Uta&LastName=Frith UCL (University College London) http://www.ucl.ac.uk/ Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) http://www.pnas.org/ UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience http://www.icn.ucl.ac.uk/

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Cochlea's Graded Curvature Effect on Low Frequency Waves

Cochlea's Graded Curvature Effect on Low Frequency Waves

By D. Manoussaki, E. K. Dimitriadis, R. S. Chadwick Source:

http://scitation.aip.org/getabs/servlet/GetabsServlet?prog=nor-

mal&id=PRLTAO000096000008088701000001&idtype=cvips&gifs=Ye s Š2006 The American Physical Society In the ear, sound waves are processed by a membrane of graded mechanical properties that resides in the fluid-filled spiral cochlea.

The role of stiffness grading as a Fourier analyzer is well known, but the role of the curvature has remained elusive.

Here, we report that increasing curvature redistributes wave energy density towards the cochlea's outer wall, affecting the shape of waves propagating on the membrane, particularly in the region where low frequency sounds are processed.

OUTDOORLINKS:

Daphne Manoussaki http://www.math.vanderbilt.edu/~daphne/

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