Sing Your Way to a Better Memory

Music therapy helps with Alzheimer’s


(RxWiki News) It's been established that diet and exercise may delay the impact of Alzheimer's disease on memory, but music? A new study suggests that singing can help with memory loss.

According to Dr. Richard S. Isaacson, there are different ways to treat Alzheimer’s besides proper eating and exercise. Dr. Isaacson states that delaying the onset of Alzheimer’s can be achieved by implementing our senses and ways of communicating.

This is also known as multimodal therapy, which is both cognitive and behavioral based on persons five senses, how they act, think and feel.

"Alzheimer caregivers should focus on diet, exercise and enjoying music."

Previous studies have been done on humans, dogs and mice that prove that what you eat influences the brain. Furthermore, proper nutrition helps protect the brain. The current study examines how music therapy influences the brain.  

Dr. Issacson notes in this article how previous studies have concluded show that people remember what they sing more than what they speak.  

Music therapy has been proven to exercise and stimulate memory in the brain. In fact, it has been proven that music therapy triggers chemicals in the brain that affect mood, behavior and sleep.

Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia in the United States affectingapproximately 5.3 million people, and the number is growing. Alzheimer’s results in memory loss, decline in cognitive functioning, and behavioral changes. Alzheimer'sdisease is usually diagnosed clinically from the patient history, statements from relatives, and clinical observations. There is no cure, and treatment efforts are aimed at slowing theprogression of the disease and treating its symptoms. Prescription medications such as Namenda (NMDA receptor antagonist) and Aricept (cholinesterase inhibitor) have beenshown to slow progression by altering the amounts of certain neurotransmitters in the brain to improve neuronal communication.

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Review Date: 
March 31, 2011
Last Updated:
April 4, 2011