Brain Electricity, Neurophysiology Technology and Music Therapys

Sense organs collect sensory information from the environment and send it to the brain for processing. Information is present in the form of energies and flows like waves in the environment and collected in the same form by our sense organs such as sound energy collected by the ears, light energy/waves perceived by the retina, heat energy sensed by the skin etc. But our brain understands only one energy that is the electrical energy. So, all the different forms of collected energies has to be converted into electrical energy before it makes sense to the brain and a response can be generated.

All brain functions; memory, emotions, intelligence, movement coordination, are due to electricity running in cables in our body called nerves (Peripheral and Cranial). Peripheral nerves take the information from the periphery of the body and send it towards or away from the brain and spinal cord for generating responses. These peripheral nerves are connected to the cranial nerves which are present inside the brain/cranium. The nerves are made up of many neurons (brain cells) or nerve fibers which are linked together by synapses, in this way electrical energy is transferred from body periphery to the brain and then to other parts of the brain through the synapses.

Luigi Galvani, in 1780 found that when dead frog’s leg was electrically stimulated, it twitched (moved). He proposed that there is some electrical fluid present in all animal’s body which can respond to outside electricity and makes muscles to move. He called it ‘Animal Electricity’ and he said it is present in the nerves and muscles even after the organism is dead. So, in this way the concept of bioelectricity came into existence and it forms the basis of many diagnostic tests done today for assessing neurological disorders. Electricity flows at approximately 100 m/s in the human body that is much less than the speed of light. Then why did brain choose electricity instead of light?

Electric energy travels in the form of waves in the brain. Our feelings of happiness, emotions, stress, anger are reflected as changes in brain waves. The brain electricity should remain in a balanced (normal) state, if it becomes too high or too less it can lead to neurological problems. Increased sensory load in migraine headaches, change brain waves (amplitude and/or frequency). Sensory perception decreases in coma and thus brain waves almost disappear. In many epilepsy patients, smell of a burnt toast triggers a seizure attack, this pre-epileptic sensory change is detected as abnormalities in EEG test (recording of brain waves). Thus, changes in sensory perception can be used as diagnostic tools. Similarly, if the stroke affects visual or auditory cortex, neurons undergo death, sensory perception is declined and can be detected by tests known as sensory evoked potentials. Thus, brain electricity measures and its flow through nerves can be used to diagnose various neurological disorders. Neurotechnicians performing these tests such as EEG, quantitative EEG, Nerve Conduction Studies for Peripheral Neuropathies, Evoked potentials etc. measure the amount and flow of electrical information to and fro between the body and the brain and compare them with values obtainted from healthy people. These non-invasive, simple tests provide a lot of information about brain functioning, conduction blocks in nerves and abnormalities in sensory pathways. They capture different brain waves with millisecond temporal resolution, capturing the event when it is really happening in the brain without almost any delay.

In modern electronic world, we all are facing the problem of increased sensory load, working on computers, noise pollution has become an unavoidable part of everybody’s life. Thus, there is a need for everyone to include some relaxation technique in day to day life to balance the increased sensory load. Listening to soothing Music, performing Meditation in the morning with natural music sung by birds, taking adequate Sleep, avoiding any form of addiction, engaging in sports and social activities are very good ways to prevent and treat neurological disorders.

Music entertains humans, it interacts with brain waves and generates a pleasant response. Musical waves influence person’s brain electricity only if that person understands that music and finds it interesting. Music also cause changes in the motor areas of the brain so when we listen to our favourite musical beats, we start shaking our body. Thus, music provokes changes in the motor areas of the brain via the auditory system-motor loops. Thus, music therapy is being tested in paralytic disorders such as Stroke and Parkinson’s and has shown positive results. Music also induces new neuron formation. Neuro-electrophysiological tests are being used to study the effect of music on the brain. Thus, there is a scope for the neuro-technicians in research and in the clinic. Favourite music increases alpha waves percentage in the brain which are seen during mental relaxation.

It induces beta waves in the motor areas which suggests motor activation may be for dancing steps or to go closer to the music source to better enjoy it. The sound energy carried by the vibrations in the air changes the electrical activity in the auditory nerves and the neurons at the central or brain level releasing neurotransmitters such as dopamine in the auditory cortex and limbic areas which gives us a pleasurable response. Also, acetylcholine is released at the neuromuscular junctions to support movements for dancing. Research suggests that the tempo (speed) of the music matters a lot. Slow music (primarily liked by older people) relaxes the brain and may not activate motor areas much but rather it will be better in activating emotional memories related to that song by activating the limbic system. But fast music activates brain motor areas and can be used for treating neurological disorders with associated paralysis such as in stroke, Parkinson’s disease.

Therefore, it is advised for the older people to come out of their comfort zone and enjoy fast music because it will enhance their cognitive abilities (memory, thinking, decision making, problem solving) which are generally reduced in old people. Research is going on to understand the cognitive effects of music, but still even today we can enjoy music and avail its benefits.

Written By:
Dr. Rajeev Gupta,
Assistant Professor,
Neuroscience,
Faculty of Allied Health Sciences