How Music Effects Epilepsy
In 1998, researchers asked 29 people with epilepsy to listen to Mozart K448 while having an EEG test. An electroencephalogram (EEG) test measures the electrical patterns in a person’s brain, and it can show if there is any epileptiform activity. Epileptiform activity means that the person has certain electrical patterns in their brain that indicate they are at risk of having seizures. The people who were chosen had shown lots of epileptiform activity in part or all of their brain during previous EEG tests. For 23 people who took this test, the EEG test showed less epileptiform activity in their brain while they were listening to the music.
In Taiwan in 2011, 58 children with focal epilepsy listened to eight minutes of Mozart K448, once a day. They then had EEG tests after one, two and six months. For 47 of the children, each EEG test showed a further decrease in epileptiform activity.
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Also in Taiwan in 2011, 11 children with refractory (difficult to control) epilepsy were studied. Most of the children had learning difficulties. The number of seizures they had in six months were counted. After this, they listened to Mozart K448, once a day before bed time, for six months. During this time, their seizures were counted again. Of the 11 children, eight became seizure free, or had a high reduction in their seizures, in the months they listened to the music.