Music could be an alternative to drugs as therapy for mental health issues, a report indicates.
Based on a study at the University of Helsinki, research shows that classical music has a tempo-regulating effect on genes responsible for generating feelings of pleasure.
Participants in the study listened to Mozart, and scientists noted greater improvement of brain function in those who were already familiar with the music compared with those who were not.
Dopamine
Dopamine secretion and synaptic transmissions are aided by listening to classical music, the study concluded. Dopamine helps control the brain’s reward and pleasure centers and is conveyed through connections made through the synaptic transmissions.
The study indicates that listening to classical music can also help memory and learning. It also suggests that there is an evolutionary similarity between the genes that are responsible for learning songs and those found in songbirds that enable them sing.
