Release Date: April 19, 2022 | Run Time: 30:58 | Download the transcript
Mozart was just 25 years old when he composed his Sonata for Two Pianos in D major. Now, hundreds of years later, his enchanting melody is offering hope to those living with epilepsy, a brain disease often characterized by debilitating seizures.
On this episode of Your Complex Brain, Heather speaks with Dr. Marjan Rafiee and Dr. Taufik Valiante to discuss the latest research around the therapeutic role that music may play in neurological disorders such as epilepsy, a mystery which is still not fully understood.
"I'm hoping to get a better understanding about, what are the important features in a musical piece that could have such an effect in individuals with epilepsy," said Dr. Rafiee. "Ultimately, one day, the dream is to be able to create our own musical pieces using a machine learning algorithm, for individuals with epilepsy, to reduce their seizures."
As we learn during the conversation, even these leading researchers were surprised by the results they uncovered.
"From a scientific point of view, it was a little bit hard to imagine that we would actually ultimately see the kinds of effects that we did, and I think that's really where the pleasant surprise came," said Dr. Taufik Valiante.
Plus, we hear directly from a patient who took part in the Mozart and Epilepsy study.
Listen to the full episode and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and everywhere else you get your podcasts.
Special thanks to Scott Dainty for sharing his story.
Dr. Marjan Rafiee is a postdoctoral fellow in the Neuron to Brain Laboratory at Krembil Brain Institute, and leads the Music and Epilepsy Research Project. Dr. Rafiee began her career in engineering, but decided to change her research field to the exciting world of neurobiology and neuroscience.
Dr. Taufik Valiante is a neurosurgeon, senior scientist, Director of the Surgical Epilepsy Program at Krembil Brain Institute and Co-Director of the Center for Advancing Neurotechnological Innovation to Application (CRANIA). Check out Dr. Valiante's band on Twitter! @draggedbyafish
Scott Dainty is a Naturopathic Doctor, and an avid sports enthusiast and musician. Scott was one of the original participants in the Music and Epilepsy research project.
Bonus Content: To hear more from Scott, listen to his full story:
Scott Dainty | Run Time: 06:05 | Download the transcript