The University Center for the Arts at CSU, housed in the old Fort Collins High School on Remington Street, is a fitting home for traditional music: newly renovated galleries, practice rooms and a modern concert hall showcase a huge appreciation for music and performance.
Tucked in the southern corner of the building, away from the main stage and largely unknown to the CSU population, is a world-renowned research facility that is exploring the nature of music as medicine.
The Center for Biomedical Research in Music brings art and science together to treat brain disorders. The center has used music to treat everything from Parkinson’s disease to traumatic injuries, such as those caused by strokes and car accidents. The center also conducts research to better understand how music is processed by and influences the brain.
“When you listen to music, your brain is on fire tracking all the elements,” says Dr. Michael Thaut, director of the CBRM and a professor of music and neuroscience at CSU.
The center, which was founded in 1994, has become an international leader in neurologic music therapy research and treatment. The center is one of only a handful of such institutions around the world, and the only one that is dedicated to clinical research.
“[It is] one of the state-of-the-art therapies being used around the world,” Thaut says. He has written the primary textbook on neurologic music therapy, “Music, Rhythm and the Brain,” and he and his colleagues have spoken at conferences from Hong Kong to Oslo.
For people who suffer from brain injuries and disorders, the power of music comes from its structure and timing. Whether a song is pleasing, popular or a timeless classic doesn’t matter. Even someone who has never touched an instrument can benefit from treatment because music appeals to our need for synchronization, Thaut says. The brain wants to work in tune with the rest of the body and the outside world.
“We want to follow the beats and the rhythm,” Thaut says. It’s something that can be seen when people unconsciously tap their foot to a song. “Musical rhythm is a time keeper, like a big clock.”
The connection between our neurological system and auditory system – how our brain processes what we hear – is very strong. This connection can be seen in spoken language. Our brains process different tones and combinations of sound simultaneously when we speak. We understand words because we have learned what those different combinations mean.
“We use music as a sensory language,” Thaut says. Music has the power to excite a huge amount of the brain. Areas of the brain that remain dormant during normal speech are triggered when a person sings, Thaut says.
A study published in 2003 in the journal The Neurosciences and Music found that rhythmic body movement, such as tapping along with a beat, activates parts of the brain and pathways that aren’t stimulated by physical movement alone. Even when no melody is present, the act of maintaining rhythm is enough to excite multiple areas of the brain.
For Thaut and other researchers, the findings proved that music could be used along with traditional exercise, such as walking, to make rehabilitation more effective. It’s as simple as putting on a pair of headphones. For people who no longer have control over certain muscles, prescribed music is a way to engage the parts of the brain that are responsible for movement but no longer work properly.
“The brain is very plastic and has elasticity,” Thaut says. “Through learning and changing, we can change the brain.”
An area of study that proves the benefits of music therapy is Parkinson’s disease. One problem for people with the disease, which often develops after age 65, is that they walk slowly and have trouble with balance. Parkinson’s affects the production of dopamine, a chemical that is important for smooth movement, according to the National Parkinson Foundation Web site.
By using music to focus their attention on ordered and steady movements, patients can train themselves to regain control of their body. The speed and beat of the music they listen to is carefully selected by a therapist to match a comfortable walking pace. On average, improvements in stability and control can be seen after two to three weeks.
Because this particular therapy combines music and exercise, it is a very active treatment that requires concentration and practice, Thaut says. Just as an athlete or musician has to practice on a daily basis to get better, patients who are finished with therapy sessions need to continue working and rehabilitating on their own. If not, they could quickly lose the ground they gained.
The center is primarily affiliated with the Department of Music, Theater and Dance, but it also works closely with three other campus-based science programs and Poudre Valley Hospital. Patients from around the world consult the center for treatment, but the volunteers for the clinical studies typically reside in northern Colorado.
CSU offer three degrees in music therapy, from bachelors to Ph.D. Students in the program are interested in science and psychology, according to Thaut, but they are musicians first and specialize in a particular instrument. They receive the same level of training as a music performance major.
Although it is important for students in the program and professionals to be highly skilled, for treatment to be effective, diversity in styles – between Bach and Mozart – makes no difference. Any connection or emotional response a patient may have to music is “just a side effect,” Thaut says.
“Music therapy is not interpreting music based on how it makes you feel,” says Thaut, who was a professional violinist before he began work at the CBRM. “That’s not rehabilitation; that’s appreciation.”
Tags: Center for Biomedical Research in Music, Colorado State University, Michael Thaut, music therapy, Parkinson's disease
