TEXTO:
Music may someday help repair the brain
The music that makes the foot tap, the fingers
snap, and the pulse quicken stirs the brain at its most
fundamental levels, suggesting that scientists one day
may be able to retune damaged minds by exploiting
[5] rhythm, harmony, and melody, according to new
research. “Undeniably, there is a biology of music,”
said Harvard University Medical School neurobiologist
Mark Tramo. “Music is biologically part of human life,
just as music is esthetically part of human life.”
[10] Researchers found that the brain:
• Responds directly to harmony. Neuroscientists
discovered that different parts of the brain involved in
emotion are activated depending on whether the music
is pleasant or unpleasant.
[15] • Interprets written music in an area on the brain’s
right side. That region corresponds to an area on the
opposite side of the brain known to handle written
words and letters. So, researchers uncovered an
anatomical link between music and language.
[20] • Grows in response to musical training. In a
study of classically trained musicians, researchers
discovered that male musicians have significantly
larger brains than men who have not had extensive
musical training.
[25] Overall, music seems to involve the brain at
almost every level, and researchers are already
looking for ways to harness the power of music
to change the brain. Preliminary research also
suggests that music may play some role in enhancing
[30] intelligence. Indeed, so seductive is the possibility that
music can boost a child’s IQ that some politicians are
lobbying for schoolchildren to be exposed regularly to
Mozart sonatas, although such research has yet to be
confirmed.
[35] The scientists said the new research could help
the clinical practice of neurology, including cognitive
rehabilitation. As a therapeutic tool, for example, some
doctors already use music to help rehabilitate stroke
patients. Surprisingly, some stroke patients who have
[40] lost their ability to speak retain their ability to sing,
and that opens an avenue for therapists to retrain the
brain’s speech centers.
RICHARDS, J.; SANDY, C. Passages: an upper-level multi-skills course. [New York], C.U.P. , s.d. p. 36.
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