Neurology: Could Music Help Treat Epilepsy?

Statistics show that the roughly 1 in 26 people will develop epilepsy at some point in their lifetime. While incidence rates are typically higher among children and older adults, events that harm the brain, including traumatic brain injuries, can increase the risk of this and other neurological conditions.

Many medications can help to treat the condition, as well as dietary and other lifestyle changes. Now, new findings presented at the American Psychological Association's 123rd Annual Convention also reveal that many living with epilepsy could benefit from listening to different types of music. Researchers at the Ohio State University Weller Medical Center found that the brains of many with the neurological condition react differently to music than those who do not have the disorder.

"We believe that music could potentially be used as an intervention to help people with epilepsy," said Christine Charyton, adjunct assistant professor and visiting assistant professor of neurology at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, in a news release.

Researchers noted how close to 80 percent of epilepsy cases originate in the temporal lobe of the brain, also known as the same region in which music is processed--the auditory cortex. This is specifically why researchers wanted to study the subject on those with epilepsy.

in this particular study, researchers compared the musical processing abilities of the brains of those with and without the health issue by using an electroencephalogram; this involves attaching electrodes to the scalp to detect and record brainwave patterns.

Researchers collected data from 21 patients who were in the epilepsy monitoring unit between September 2012 and May 2014.

Findings revealed that participants with epilepsy had significantly higher brainwave activity when listening to music than those with epilepsy. Brainwave activity in those with epilepsy also tended to synchronize more with music, especially in the temporal lobe than in those without.

Researchers believe that music could help work as a novel intervention used in conjunction with traditional treatments to help prevent seizures in some patients with epilepsy.

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