Strained Brains And Song Refrains: Could This New Music App Help Restore Some Lucidity To Those Afflicted With Declining Minds?

Music has been inextricably linked to culture, community, and comradeship since the first caveman hit some rocks together in a catchy beat.  Its influence has spanned the globe and has even journeyed into the stars.  Our greatest composers and artists are held in the same respectful strata as our greatest heroes...and now, there might be one more reason why.

Rock out 'til the clock's out.
(Image courtesy kindakind.com.)

According to Spark Memories Radio, those who suffer from declining cognitive function could possibly benefit from listening to the music of their youth.  The app is a streaming radio service that is "designed to stir memories, trigger brain activity and enhance quality of life in patients with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias."

The app, which plays on any smartphone or tablet, has an easy setup and one-touch playability (so those who grew up rocking out to Victrolas don't have to worry about anything too high-tech.)  By establishing the user's birthdate, numerous playlists are offered that will transport the user back to better, brainier times.

You don't need to tell him that's not a real guitar.
Or even that he was a lifelong trumpet player.
The music will say everything.
(Image courtesy smosh.com.)

As Spark Memories Radio explains:

"Simply enter your Loved One’s date of birth to start a continuous stream of songs from your Loved One’s formative years when powerful connections were made with people, places and events. Hearing these carefully selected songs sparks the memory of those times creating joy, happiness, and a higher level of functioning."

Created by Alzheimer's researcher and musician Dr. Rudolf Tanzi, a professor of neurology at Harvard University and the director of the Genetics and Aging Research Unit as Mass General Hospital, the idea is entertaining, innovative, and even at its worst certainly can't hurt (how many medical treatments can say that?)

As Tanzi says, "Music has a powerful effect on the brain.  We are emotionally stimulated, aware and active when we hear music we loved most."   He believes the synaptic activity such music might arouse would be enough to possibly propel moments of lucidity in less-aware loved ones.

When it doubt, break out the classic hardcore.

Sounds good, doesn't it?  You can read more about how Spark Memories Radio works via their FAQ page.  Just because you get older - or even find yourself possibly losing your cognitive capacity - it's no reason not to enjoy the tunes that shaped your formative years.  Rock (or jazz, or swing) on!

Look how well music therapy keeps working for these senior citizens!
This could be a serious scientific breakthrough...
(Image courtesy kmbfm.com.)