The Idea of an Essay, Volume 3

Research Writing 181 power of plasticity. The same cortical plasticity that allows reorganization of the auditory cortex also triggers tinnitus, a ringing in the ears. In the absence of auditory stimuli—for example, in the case of a person going deaf—the excitation-inhibition balance in the auditory cortex is distorted, causing a lack of inhibition that affects the activity of specific neurons in the brain (Pantev et al., “Tinnitus” 253-254). This “maladaptive plasticity” allows the neurons to fire more frequently and spontaneously, resulting in the typical ringing sound of tinnitus (253-254). Because of its origins in cortical organization, Pantev et al. term tinnitus “the dark side of cortical plasticity” (253). Though no standard therapy for tinnitus exists, the cure may actually come from music. Pantev et al. propose a method involving custom-made songs in which the particular frequency that buzzes through the patient’s head is removed from the entire song, resulting in “notched” music (“Tinnitus” 254). Listening to such “notched” music dampens the hyperactive cortical activity that produces the tinnitus. With the affected neurons no longer firing as frequently and spontaneously, the brain will in time reorganize the auditory cortex, returning it to its normal state (254). Thus the brain’s very mechanism that created the problem of tinnitus can also reverse it, assisted by a novel usage of music therapy. Applications of neurological music therapy do not end with tinnitus, however. Music therapy for stroke-impaired motor function provides reorganization not only of the auditory portions but of the motor and auditory-sensorimotor portions of the brain (Altenmuller et al. 395). A key aspect of this type of music therapy, actual music-making (playing the piano or the drums, for example) involves accumulated repetition of the same movements, which develops motor skills (395). More traditional therapies for motor impairment take advantage of the same principle, but music therapy includes an extra advantage: an auditory component, which provides reinforcement and feedback corresponding to the movement (395). Altenmuller et al. found that between the people treated with music therapy and the people treated with traditional therapies, “music- supported therapy yielded significant improvement in fine as well as gross motor skills with respect to speed, precision, and smoothness of movements” (395). The auditory and motor dimensions of music- making combine to render music therapy an effective treatment for stroke-induced motor impairment. Not only people with stroke-impaired motor skills but also those suffering from aphasia can benefit from music therapy.