Find out whether classical music improves your memory
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How are memories formed and recollected?
Do you like to listen to music while studying or doing homework? Well, as it turns out, music actually improves memory and learning. New research from the journal Memory found that our first memories can begin as early as two years old.(1) Once memories are formed, they can be evoked by the brain through recall. Wilder Penfield, a famous 19th century neurosurgeon, discovered that memories can be evoked by simply stimulating parts of the cortices, which are specific sections in the brain, that trigger certain nerve junction patterns called synapses.
Background on Music Theories
While your favorite types of music can help relax and engage your brain, specific genres of music have targeted effects on functions of the brain like mood, memory, and motor skills. In particular, classical music has strong benefits on short term memory. This includes musical artists like Mozart, Beethoven, and Bach. There is actually a proven scientific theory called the Mozart Effect which explains how listening to Mozart’s compositions increases spatial intelligence, activating parts of the brain linked to memory and problem solving. But what makes classical music different to other genres, and how might these key elements affect our brains?
What makes classical music unique?
If we compare Mozart’s two piano sonata composition K488 to contemporary classical music, such as Greek-American musician Yanni’s song Acroyali, we can see that they have distinct similarities. Both follow similar tempo, structure, melody, and strong harmonic consonance. The pieces share a homophonic quality, meaning they have one predominant melody. The two pieces also have strong crescendos(rise in volume) and diminuendos(decrease in loudness) which accentuates the contrasts in mood. Lastly, the pieces have a consistent rhythm and a similar tempo of around 130 beats per minute. In general, classical music has commonalities which allow it to produce such similarly strong effects in the brain across many songs within the genre. Because the music is precomposed note for note, there are certain expressed patterns which makes the music more predictable and recognizable. The structure and slow tones create a calming effect which allows our brains to focus on the activities we are working on.
Scientific Effects of Elements of Classical Music
Our ability to focus better when listening to music can partly be explained by harmonic consonance. Harmonic consonances are a combination of tones that result in a musically pleasing sound, in particular has been proven to elicit a higher electrical response in the auditory cortex. This specific response, also known as N1 event-related brain potentials, allow for greater auditory-sensual perceptual processing.(2) Essentially, this stimulates the brain of an individual reading or studying to associate what they are learning with the musical phrases they are simultaneously listening to. These musical elements are so effective, they are used in memory training.
N1 responses are not the only effect observed in humans while listening to classical music. Classical music has also been known to increase the secretion of a neurotransmitter known as dopamine, a chemical messenger that boosts our level of happiness.(3) In the brain, the music creates an auditory channel to the medial prefrontal cortex known as the brain’s reward system. The expectation of a reward triggers greater dopamine signaling. Dopamine prevents the release of stress hormones which improves mood and clarifies thinking. With greater happiness, individuals are more receptive and attentive to what they are learning leading to greater memory. Furthermore, classical music also lowers cortisol levels in the brain which in turn decreases heart rate and emotional distress. Find out more about hormone’s effects on mood in the next blog.
Breaking Down Classical Music Effect on Genes
Lastly, classical music has also been reported to upregulate the expression of a gene called synuclein-alpha(SNCA), which is strongly associated with learning and memory. In fact SNCA has contributed to song learning in songbirds, which shows an evolutionary similarity of sound perception between humans and songbirds. The gene encodes the SNCA protein which plays an important role in regulating neurotransmitter release, synaptic function, and neuron plasticity, all of which are key components to allowing our brain to grasp information quicker and more effectively.(4) Breaking it down, SNCA is responsible for reconstructing tau proteins in the neuron cells of the central nervous system.(5) Tau proteins maintain the stability of microtubules which facilitate movement of neurotransmitter signals across synapses, junctions between neurons. With greater SNCA activity, neurotransmitters like dopamine are fired quicker which allow the brain to respond to stimuli at a faster rate. SNCA is also responsible for protecting and restoring damaged neurons known as non-dopaminergic neurons by decreasing caspase-3 activation that causes cell death.(5) This is why point mutations of SNCA have been attributed to the cause of Parkinson’s disease, a disease that results in a loss of memory and control over body movement.
Through the musical characteristics including strong harmonic consonance, predominant melody, steady tempo, and predictive rhythm, classical music has been shown to improve memory by activating synapses, hormones, and genes within our body. Therefore, there may be more benefit to listening to classical music while you study for your next exam.
Sources
(1)Joni Sweet “Earliest Memories Start at Age Two and a Half, Study Finds” Mental Health News June 28,2021
(2) Pascaline Regnault, Emmanuel Bigand, Mireille Besson; Different Brain Mechanisms Mediate Sensitivity to Sensory Consonance and Harmonic Context: Evidence from Auditory Event-Related Brain Potentials. J Cogn Neurosci 2001; 13 (2): 241–255. doi:
https://doi.org/10.1162/089892901564298
(3) Science Daily “Listening to classical music modulates genes that are responsible for brain functions” March 13, 2015
(4) Symphony Central Coast | Oct 30, 2019 | Classical Music, Symphony Central Coast
(5) Siddiqui IJ, Pervaiz N, Abbasi AA. The Parkinson Disease gene SNCA: Evolutionary and structural insights with pathological implication. Sci Rep. 2016 Apr 15;6:24475. doi: 10.1038/srep24475. PMID: 27080380; PMCID: PMC4832246.