Spiritual Experience and the Default Mode Network

Ecstasy, awe, peace, the experience of the insight that "all is One", a sense of being "outside of time", the feeling that you experienced something sacred and holy, a gain of insightful knowledge experienced at an intuitive level…Trippy, right? Well, these are all elements from the Revised 30-item Mystical Experience Questionnaire [1] that is based on the seven dimensions of mystical experience, described by the British philosopher Walter Stace in 1960 [2]. This questionnaire has been used in the study of mystical experiences elicited by psychotropic drugs, like psilocybin and LSD (see article on page 6).

A Sufi in Ecstasy in a Landscap, source: Wikimedia Commons

Ceremonial use of hallucinogenic drugs dates back many thousands of years and is still part of many indigenous cultures of America (see also page 7). Although the reasons for using these substances in the ceremonies are varied, the goal is usually to facilitate the occurrence of a spiritual experience. Mystical or spiritual experiences occur also in the absence of drugs and have been reported inside and outside religious contexts. Meditation practices (page 5), for example, can lead to the experience of unity or pure awareness. For that reason, psychotropic drugs and meditative states have been used as models to study the neural correlates of mystical experience.

What Is the Default Mode Network?
Changes in the activity and connectivity of the default mode network (DMN) have been identified in studies where psychotropic drugs were used to elicit mystical experiences. This same network also shows changes during different meditation practices [3]. The default network is pretty much like the screen-saver of your brain. It is the network that gets active when you are not engaging in any activity that requires external focus, but rather just resting and letting your mind wander. The main components of the DMN are the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), the parahippocampal cortex (PHC) and the inferior parietal lobule (IPL) [4]. All these areas have a high density of serotonin 5-HT receptors, which are the targets of psychotropic drugs.

How attached are you to your ego?

What is interesting about this network is that it appears to be involved in the perception of self. Since it integrates information from different areas of the brain, it appears to be giving a constant update on self-awareness. The PHC, for example, stores episodic memory [5], while the mPFC and PCC overlap with social cognition and self-referential areas of the brain [6]. These areas are active when you are entertained in your own internal dialog, thinking about yourself or other people’s thoughts and intentions. The IPL, on the other hand, has been implicated in the processing of time perception [7]. Brain imaging studies using psilocybin, LSD or mescaline, as well as studies that looked at the brain of experienced meditators, found both a decreased activity and decreased connectivity of the DMN. Therefore, it is hypothesized that a decrease in the connectivity of the IPL with the rest of the DMN mediate the feeling of timelessness and spacelessness, while the decreased connectivity in the PCC and mPFC mediate the feelings of unity and ego dissolution [3].

On Cloud Nine?
It is always exciting when common neural correlates can be found for such a broad and subjective human phenomenon like the spiritual experience. However, the mystery of mystical experiences still remains. It is interesting, for example, that these transient experiences of ego dissolution come with long- (often life-long) lasting feelings of insight and positive behavioral changes. How can a momentary detachment from our persistent self-awareness give us the feeling of an encounter with an ultimate truth?

Spiritual Yoga, source: pixabay

Interestingly, the salvation or liberation from the self is a recurrent idea in many religions. To become part of the Absolute, reach Nirvana or be in God’s glory is the ultimate goal of the major religions of the world. Religious/spiritual practices aim to achieve this state through self-transformation and self-renunciation. Certain attitudes like the distancing from practical life and detachment from one’s and others’ needs and affections can facilitate the emergence of spiritual experiences [8]. What about you? Have you been close to a mystical experience?

[1] Barrett et al, J Psychopharmacol, 2015
[2] Stace, McMillan Press NY, 1960
[3] Barrett and Griffiths, Curr Topics Behav Neurosci, 2017
[4] Fox et al, PNAS, 2005
[5] Ranganath and Ritchey, Nat Rev Neurosci, 2012
[6] Shilbach et al, Conscious Cogn, 2008
[7] Battelli et al, Trends Cogn Sci, 2007
[8] Steinbock, Indiana University Press, 2007


by Silvina Romero Suárez,  PhD Student AG Infante

This article originally appeared September 2017 in CNS Volume 10, Issue 3, Spirituality in Science

Looking for God in the Brain: Neural Correlates of Religiosity

What makes humans religious? There must be something about our brain that makes religion a common denominator of humanity. Is there some area in our brain dedicated to the perception of the divine? Or maybe it is all just in our minds. Studying the neural correlates of religious behavior is no easy task, but some scientists have dared to address these questions.

To Believe Or Not Believe, Is That the Question?

How can we study the neural underpinnings of religion, this complex cultural phenomenon that affects many aspects of human behavior? Well, we can start by asking people if they believe in it. It is assumed that having faith is a prerequisite to comprehend and find relevance in religious activity. Whether or not faith and belief are the same thing is an ongoing debate in theology. Nevertheless, it is obvious that religious people believe that the specific word view provided by their religion is true. Therefore, an important area of research has focused on the neural correlates of what is happening in the brain when you judge a statement as true or false.
Interestingly, in a study in which subjects were asked to rate different kinds of statements as true, false or undecided, agreement generally activated the same brain area: the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) [1]. The vmPFC is strongly connected to the limbic system and incorporates emotional and reward associations to factual knowledge and reasoning tasks. This means that the act of agreeing with a statement, be it “2+2=4 “or “Jesus is the son of God”, activates the same area of the brain linked with positive emotions. In contrast, rejecting a statement as false differentially activated areas associated with feelings of disgust, such as the anterior insula, an area involved in the perception of pain and unpleasant odors.

A spiritual side to the brain?

In another study [2], the same group compared the brain activity of Christians and non-believers when agreeing or disagreeing with religious and non-religious statements. The answers (either true or false) to non-religious statements activated temporal areas of the brain associated with memory retrieval like the hippocampus, while the answers to religious statements activated similar areas of the brain found for disagreement in the previous study (likely from non-believers). In addition, the posterior medial cortex was activated, an area that is associated with the evaluation of self. That means that the participants were affirming their identity when agreeing or disagreeing with religious statements.

courtesy of Hector Salaza

Also interesting was the response to blasphemous statements like “the Biblical God is a myth”. The ventral striatum, a critical component of the reward system, was highly activated when believers rejected the blasphemy as false as well as when non-believers accepted the blasphemy as true. These findings make sense as we all know how Christians enjoy rejecting blasphemies while non-believers seem to take special pleasure in affirming them.

Talking To God – As a Friend
A key belief across religions is in the capacity to communicate with their God(s) through prayer. It was shown that praying, both through "official" religious texts and personal prayer, activates the reward system, specifically the dorsal striatum, which is associated with the expectation of future rewards and habit maintenance [3]. Interestingly, personal prayer activates areas of social cognition. In a study that compared personal prayer versus the Lord’s Prayer (an important part of Christian religious ceremonies) or making wishes to Santa Claus in committed Christians (who believed in God but not in Santa), it was found that personal praying differentially activates the temporoparietal junction, temporopolar region and the anterior mPFC. These three regions have been described as the “theory of mind” (ToM) areas, which are active when thinking about other people’s emotions and intentions [4]. This indicates that personal prayers imitate everyday social communication with real persons and provides God with intent and reciprocity (all the participants affirmed that God answered their prayer in some way). Indeed, it was found in another study that the activation of the ToM areas occurred before the activation of other non-ToM areas when accepting religious statements [5].
So far, no "God brain area" has been found. However, these findings tell us that religious people are no different than non-religious in the process of believing or disbelieving, which always comes with an emotional tone. In addition, it seems that religious thoughts are strongly linked to identity and social cognition. Interestingly, this supports theories from evolutionary psychology that religiousness might have emerged as a by-product of increasingly sophisticated ToM areas [6]. In other words: if there really is a God or other holy figure(s), it might just as well be that we believe in them "by (evolutionary) chance".

[1] Harris et al, Ann Neurol, 2008
[2] Harris et al, Plos One, 2009
[3] Schjoedt et al, Neurosci Lett, 2008
[4] Schjoedt et al, Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci, 2009
[5] Kapogiannis et al, Brain Connect, 2014
[6] Boyer, Trends Cogn Sci, 2003

by Silvina Romero Suárez,  PhD Student AG Infante

This article originally appeared September 2017 in CNS Volume 10, Issue 3, Spirituality in Science

New Issue Out Now! SPIRITUALITY IN SCIENCE

Is spirituality a topic that neuroscience should shun? We don’t think so! That’s why the September issue of the CNS newsletter is taking a closer look. 

click here to read

Besides exploring what religiosity looks like in your brain (pages 3 and 13), we invite you on a journey through the world of psychoactive drugs and plants (pages 6 and 7). But, as our frequent readers know, that’s not where we stop. We looked at what religion itself (page 11) and several “spiritual” practices can do for your mental (and physical) health, including fasting (page 14), meditation (page 5) and yoga (page 12). As a special treat for you, we also sat down with neuroscientists from Berlin to find out how they relate to faith (pages 8-9).
While some people struggle with bringing the spiritual and the worldly together in the workplace, we don't! In fact, this issue features one of the longest career sections in the history of our newsletter. We are excited to cover an interview with a neuroscientist-turned-yoga-teacher (pages 16-17), a recap of this year’s BioBusiness Summer School and annual Neurasmus meeting (page 18) and show you how to use activating teaching methods (page 19). And if you don’t agree with our take, we will even show you how to call BS (page 20).

Want to find out more? Stay tuned for the next postings!

Amen, Namaste, Salem Aleikum, Shalom and happy reading!

Helge Hasselmann Constance Holman
Co-editors-in-chief

This editorial originally appeared September 2017 in CNS Volume 10, Issue 3, Spirituality in Science

Green Tea and its Extracts for Healthy Brains

The second most popular beverage after water, consumed either hot or cold, is prepared from brewing the leaves of Camellia sinesis: green tea. Different from the equally popular black tea, the fermentation of the leaves is prevented, retaining the eponymous original green color [1].

For a long time, consuming green tea was associated with longevity and increased health, and indeed, green tea was shown to contain the highest concentrations of different polyphenols (flavinoids, catechins, caffeine, theanine, theobromine, theophylline, phenolic acids) as well as antioxidants (epigallocatechin gallate, catechin, epicatechin gallocatechin, gallocatechin gallate, and epicatechin gallate), all of which were shown to be associated with health benefits [2].
A multitude of studies, mainly performed in Asian countries where the plant is cultivated and drinking green tea has a tradition of almost 5000 years [3], reported the health benefits of green tea consumption in various diseases ranging from atherosclerosis, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, liver and bowel pathologies to almost all types of cancers [1,4]. In many different types of brain and peripheral nerve tumors, green tea and its extracts were found to inhibit cancer cell growth and render them more vulnerable to chemo- and radiotherapy while simultaneously sparing normal brain cells [5,6].

Source: Will Spark

Prof. Hunstein, a former internist and hematologist, provided a very intriguing self-report on the application of green tea in disease. He suffered from the rare condition lambda light-chain amyloidosis. Whilst the common therapeutic approach was rather ineffective, daily consumption of 1.5 to 2 liters of green tea per day reduced his symptoms substantially [7].
Meta-analyses of studies investigating the effects of daily green tea consumption reveal that there are major variations in the daily intake, concentration, and preparation methods of green tea, and have not found definite proof of clinically relevant benefits [1]. However, more recent studies have relied on chemically pure green tea extracts, more specifically epigallocathechin-3-gallate (EGCG).
This compound was shown to be beneficial for the central nervous system. Since green tea is associated with healthy aging, researchers investigated its effects in diseases of the elderly: Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

Source

In vitro and in vivo models, similar to Prof. Hunsteins amyloidosis report, showed that EGCG decreases A-beta plaque burden by inhibiting peptide aggregation and promoting production of non-cytotoxic peptides through the modulation of secretase activity [8,9]. Additionally, green tea extract acts as an anti-inflammatory compound, scavenging free radicals and promoting hippocampal neurogenesis, all of which are beneficial in Parkinson's disease[10]. The extract does not only prevent cognitive decline by slowing down neurodegenerative processes, but was found to improve cognition even in healthy brains [11]. In small animal as well as human studies, researchers found evidence for the psychological relevance of green tea and its extracts. Reports indicate that green tea reduces stress and even has an antidepressant-like activity. [12,13]
Moreover, there is evidence that EGCG prevents cognitive deficits after stroke, in Huntington's disease and Down syndrome patients [14-16]. Another very promising trial - which was recently performed here at the Charité - investigated the anti-inflammatory actions of EGCG in multiple sclerosis (MS), an autoimmune disease with unknown origin that causes CNS damage by attacking the myelin sheath and causing inflammation and neuronal death [17]. Previous research groups, now present on the Charité campus, had found that EGCG strongly reduces symptoms in the EAE mouse model of MS. The green tea extract is a neuroprotectant and reduced general neuroinflammatory activity [18]. Regarding the now completed clinical trial, project leader Dr. Judith Bellmann-Strobl stated: “We currently evaluate the results of the SuniMS trial. We are about to unblind the data and only then we will know the effects. So far, I can only say that the investigational product was very well tolerated even at relatively high dosages.”

Camellia Sinensis, Source

In conclusion, green tea consumption is very likely beneficial for the body, soul and disease prevention. However, treating individual diseases may require chemically pure compounds found in green tea extracts, which seem to exert few, if any, side effects. It appears that a healthy lifestyle is not only about veggies and exercise; have some green tea to pamper your brain!


[1] bit.ly/1azL2q3
[2] Johnson et al, Maturitas, 2012
[3] http://inventors.about.com/od/tstartinventions/ss/tea.htm
[4] Hursel et al, Am J Clin Nutr, 2013
[5] Das et al, Cancer, 2010
[6] Shervington et al, Mol Biol Rep, 2009
[7] Hunstein, Blood, 2007
[8] Jayasena et al, Ageing Research Reviews, 2013
[9] Lee  et al, J Nutr, 2009
[10] Lee, Neurosignals, 2005
[11] Haque et al, J Nutr, 2006
[12] Zhu et al, Pharmacol Res, 2012
[13]Kimuras et al, Biol Psychol, 2007
[14] Suzuki et al, Med Sci Monit, 2004
[15] Kumar and Kumar, Food Chem Toxicol, 2009
[16] De la Torre, Mol Nutr Food Res, 2013
[17] http://www.gesundheitsforschung-bmbf.de/de/1053.php
[18] Aktas et al, J Immunol, 2004


by Bettina Schmerl, MSc Student Medical Neurosciences
this article originally appeared 2013 in CNS Volume 6, Issue 4, Integrative Medicine

Nature as a Toolbox for Drugs in Neuroscience and Beyond

One of the most difficult steps in developing a drug to treat an illness is finding a biological target for the compound to act on. In many cases, nature has solved this problem for us, and all it takes are a few astute observations from people to figure out how we can make use of our surroundings to improve and maintain our health. Once the effects of a certain plant or animal product on the human body are observed, the exact substance causing these effects must be extracted. Pharmaceutical chemists then synthesize these compounds or compounds closely related to them as a potential drug that undergoes further safety and effectiveness testing.

In areas of the world where malaria is endemic, quinine is one of the most effective treatments for this parasitic infection. Now reserved for the most severe cases of malaria, this drug has been used for centuries in South America and Europe to treat fever and shivering. Quinine is an alkaloid (compounds containing basic nitrogen atoms) derived from the bark of the cinchona tree, and possesses the characteristic bitter taste of this plant. Reserpine, another alkaloid, is a drug used to treat hypertension and psychosis. Although not commonly used nowadays, it remains an option for treating those with high blood pressure who are resistant to other medications. The compound was first isolated from the Indian snakeroot Rauvolfia serpentine. This plant also contains another chemical – yohimbine – which acts on the alpha 2 receptors of adrenaline and is used as a remedy for erectile dysfunction.

The willow tree (genus Salix) has provided humanity with one of the most important drugs we have ever used. The plant contains the active compound salicin, used for centuries to relieve pain and fever by Native Americans as well as the Ancient Egyptians. In fact, salicin was the drug at the centre of the first clinical trial in scientific history, conducted in 1763 [1]. In the late 1800s, it was used for the production of acetylsalicylic acid (Aspirin) - the most widely used drug in history, which single-handedly converted Friedrich Bayer’s company from a small dye manufacturer to a pharmaceutical titan. The cardiac glycoside digoxin is extracted from Digitalis lanata (foxglove). Early attempts at medicinal use of this plant were hindered by its toxicity and fatality in overdose.  It currently has an important role in the treatment of heart failure as well as abnormal rhythmicity of the heart, yet requires stringent monitoring and careful dosage prescription to avoid its harmful effects.

The aptly named plant Atropa belladonna was once used by women in Italy to dilate their pupils and make them look more attractive. It contains a mixture of toxic alkaloids (known to cause hallucinations) that inhibit the action of the autonomic nervous system (the part of the nervous system devoted to controlling the automatic, unconscious functions of the body). Derived from this plant is the widely used anticholinergic drug atropine, which is used in ophthalmology to dilate the pupils, to treat cases of organophosphate (insecticide) poisoning, and to treat those with abnormally low heart rates. Another anticholinergic drug, curare, acts on a distinct set of receptors and was once widely used as a muscle relaxant during anaesthesia. Derived from the Strychnos toxifera plant, this paralyzing poison was historically used by South American tribes to cover the tips of their hunting arrows.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors were derived in the 1960s from the venom of the Brazilian pit viper, Bothrops jararaca. The venom kills by causing a severe drop in arterial pressure through blockage of the renin angiotensin aldosterone system, an essential physiological mechanism which controls blood pressure. ACE inhibitors such as lisinopril, captopril and enalapril have become first-line agents for high blood pressure, particularly in younger Caucasian patients, and have a good safety profile. It is noteworthy that their selective mechanism of action means that ACE inhibitors may not be effective for everyone in terms of lowering blood pressure. Despite this, the drugs have several other unique benefits including protecting the kidneys in diabetes and improving heart function in patients with heart failure [2].

A more recent drug yielded from nature’s gift basket is exenatide, an anti-diabetic agent licensed for use in 2005. This drug was isolated from lizard (Gila monster) saliva and has been shown to stimulate insulin release from the pancreas [3]. Unlike other anti-diabetic drugs, exenatide has an important feature – it only increases insulin secretion when glucose levels are high and therefore, does not lead to an abnormally low blood glucose (hypoglycaemia). It also has numerous other beneficial effects including promoting weight loss. Similarly, a new agent proposed for the treatment of stroke is also derived from saliva - that of the vampire bat Desmodus rotundus. This drug, called desmoteplase, is still in the testing phases of development (phase III trials), but has already shown great promise [4]. It stays in the body for a longer time than other thrombolytics (drugs which dissolve blood clots), is more selective in its action, and does not lead to neurotoxicity. It is possible that it may represent a breakthrough in the treatment of stroke, which is currently a highly debated and complicated issue.

People have been using natural resources for medicinal purposes for millennia

Nowadays, we are in possession of complex methods to design, test and use medicines. Despite this, it’s not uncommon that a drug crosses our path which reminds us that no matter how technologically advanced we are, our dependence on nature is eternal. People have been using the earth’s natural resources for medicinal purposes for millennia, and continue to do so. However, only a handful of these substances - which include both animal and plant products - have been scientifically deemed safe and effective enough for modern use.


[1] Stone, Philos Trans, 1763
[2] Pahor et al, Diabetes Care, 2000
[3] Gavin, Ethnic Dis, 2007
[4] Schleuning, Pathophysiol Haemos Thromb, 2001


by Ahmed Khalil
this article originally appeared 2013 in CNS Volume 6, Issue 4, Integrative Medicine

Research on Researchers: Dr. Michael Teut

Dr. Michael Teut does clinical research about the effects of traditional, alternative or complementary therapies and works as a physician at the Institute of Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin.




MZ: What is your academic background?
MT: I was trained as a physician, mainly in Internal Medicine, Geriatrics, Family Medicine, Hypnotherapy and Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Since 2007, I have been working as researcher and physician at the Institute of Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin.

You studied in the Netherlands and in India. What did you experience there?
Both countries have completely different cultures. In 1994, I spent a few months of clinical training in a homeopathic hospital and college in Mumbai. India’s medical system is split into three parts: conventional medicine, ayurveda, and homeopathy. Approximately 250,000 Indian physicians work as homeopaths and are running hospitals and clinics. I personally wanted to study this phenomenon more closely and subjectively had the impression that, in many cases, homeopathy produced good results, but in others, conventional medicine was clearly superior. This experience helped to support my decision to pursue Integrative Medicine, which combines the best therapeutic strategies from different systems to optimize health care for individual patients with individual needs. In the Netherlands, I participated in a four-month surgical internship at the Leiden University Medical Center, which was very good training. Practical bedside teaching was of utmost importance and I participated in many operations and worked frequently in the emergency unit. Teamwork was clearly very important, and was a strength of the Dutch colleagues.

What do you do in your current position?
Together with my colleagues, I was able to set up the Charité Outpatient Department for Integrative Medicine at Berlin Mitte (Charité Hochschulambulanz für Naturheilkunde), which provides outpatient care and conducts clinical trials. I am also teaching medical students in Social Medicine, Prevention, Health Economics and Complementary and Alternative Medicine. At the moment, we are running clinical trials on the effects of mindful walking and cupping in chronic low back pain and „Kneipp“ therapies in elderly patients in nursing homes.

What are your main topics of interest in science?
I am mainly interested in clinical research about the effects of traditional, alternative or complementary therapies. If you enter this field, placebo discussions will automatically arise. In the last years, I became more and more interested in ’self healing‘. In clinical research, the term ’placebo‘ is frequently used. But placebo is a ’black box‘, the meaning depends on the context in which the term is used. In my understanding, one important aspect of ’placebo‘ is self healing and conditions which support self healing. Already the school of Hippocrates in ancient Greece advised life style changes to increase self healing, to improve health, and support healthy aging. Much of the ancient advice remains true today. Although we know about the benefits of lifestyle change, modern medicine is mainly focused on technical solutions. Therefore, I consider trials that investigate the effects of simple and low-tech lifestyle change interventions to be of high importance. Good examples are our trials about the effects of mindful walking exercises on psychological distressed subjects or patients with chronic back pain.

Scientific research should be understood as a tool to help patients and improve medicine.

What do you think is the main advantage of integrative medicine compared to conventional medicine?
Over the last years, I realized that integrating traditional therapies in conventional medicine enables physicians to use a wider range of metaphors and concepts to help patients to create meaning about their complaints and disease. This can help the patient to reframe his situation, reduce distress, and also activate resources for self healing. Physicians integrating traditional therapies usually spend more time with their patients. Time is a crucial resource to medical quality: to understand patients, build up a good patient-physician relationship, also to avoid errors. In addition, many traditional therapies have low side effects and can be tried before, after or in combination with conventional treatments.

How will medicine look like in 20 years from now?
Medical progress is strongly driven by new technologies and industry. Introducing new technologies confronts us with great opportunities but also risks. I hope that we will be able to master this challenge and our patients may benefit from technical advances. In the United States, Integrative Medicine has become a very strong movement. Nearly all academic centers are now running departments for Integrative Medicine. The US government strongly supports scientific research in this field with more than 100 million dollars per year. I personally understand this movement as a counterbalance to the technologically driven medical progress. I hope that creating evidence for traditional therapies may lead to an integration of useful strategies in conventional medicine in the long run.

What impressed or astonished you most during your career?
The tendency of many physicians and journalists to generally classify complementary and alternative medicines as ’placebo‘ and conventional medicine as ’effective‘. Both sides are part of our medicine culture. Placebo responses occur in both systems and play essential roles in both. Conventional medical practice, as practiced in real life, is in many cases not evidence-based. We should generally be more open minded, curious, but also critical towards all therapeutic strategies.

Thank you very much, Dr. Teut, for this intriguing insight into your work and life. 

This interview was conducted by Marietta Zille and originally published 2013 in
CNS Volume 6, Issue 4, Integrative Medicine

Simply Put, Music Can Heal

The idea of using music to heal has been postulated as early as in the writings of Aristotle and Plato. The first recorded music therapy intervention was in the 1800s in an institutional setting (Blackwell’s island in New York). Interest in music therapy continued to gain support thereafter. 

By definition, music therapy is the evidence-based clinical use of music interventions to accomplish individualized therapeutic goals by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program [1].
Modern music therapy consists of two main domains. One traditional working area is psychiatric music therapy, where music is used as a tool of self-expression and interaction. Another traditional domain is music therapy for developmental and neurological disorders. While psychiatric music therapy is often based on a relatively free and spontaneous working paradigm, music therapy for developmental and neurological diseases is more structured and method-oriented [2].

It is hard to find anyone who does not like music at all. Vast differences exist only when we talk about emotions different music can arouse or personal experiences that have been attached. Since the majority of psychiatric disorders are associated with emotional disorders, it is no wonder that music has been useful to regulate emotion. Fortunately, experiences with emotional entities and interaction become possible with music therapy even when verbal expression is absent, which is the case with infants, people with dementia, or patients suffering from acute psychosis. Music therapy, however, is not limited to listening; actively playing an instrument can also be rewarding for body coordination and motor function of patients with motor disabilities. Finally, it is often not only the music but also the relationship between the patient and the therapist that makes the therapy work.

To sum up, music therapy is one of the most important complementary therapies and can be applied to various diseases. Music therapy research is also an active area [3-5], which greatly promotes the development and new applications of music therapy in both psychiatric and neurological clinical settings. Isn't it nice that we can both enjoy music and be healed at the same time?

References
[1] http://www.musictherapy.org/about/quotes/
[2] http://www.ithp.org/articles/musictherapy.html
[3] Sakarmo et al, Brain, 2008
[4] Morgan et al, Acta Psychiatr Scand, 2011
[5] Srinivasan and Bhat, Front Integr Neurosci, 2013


By Tian Zhang, PhD Student Medical Neurosciences, AG Clinical Neurosciences
This article originally appeared 2013 in CNS Volume 6, Issue 4, Integrative Medicine