From the Happy Birthday song, to movie soundtracks, to musicals, music’s positive influence on our world has been unparalleled. But beyond providing the perfect ambience to a party, music shows promise as an effective therapy to those who suffer from epileptic attacks.

The Mozart Effect

Often, listening to classical music is associated with sophistication and a higher level of thinking, but in the 1990s, one study claimed that listening to Mozart’s piano sonata K488 momentarily increased the IQ of individuals by 8-9 points. Unfortunately, others could not replicate these findings, which caused uncertainty within the scientific community surrounding these claims. However, there have been many studies that have shown efficacy in decreasing the frequency of epileptic episodes with people who have severe epilepsy.

Why Music Might Help With Epilepsy

A seizure occurs when an abrupt burst of electric signals occurs in one or more parts of the brain that interrupt normal brain function, and about eighty percent of epilepsy cases originate in the temporal lobe. By looking at positron emission tomography scanning (more commonly known as PET scans) and other neurological scanning techniques, researchers have found that listening to music uses many different sections and hemispheres of the brain rather than  a localized region, including the region where epileptic seizures originate in the temporal lobe. 

Results from Studies

In one study, after listening to the Mozart piano sonata K488, 23 of the 29 participants were found to have decreased epilectic activity for a brief period of time. In fact, two patients who had 90-100% epilectic activity fell to about 50% about five minutes after starting to listen to the piano sonata. In another study that consisted of twelve patients, while listening to Mozart, no patients showed any increase in epileptic activity, one patient did not exhibit any activity, and five patients observed a decrease in over 50% of their epileptic activity. However, it must be taken into consideration that most studies that have shown such results come from relatively small sample sizes which are more susceptible to being less accurate than studies that have larger sample sizes. 

Adverse Effect of Music Towards Epilepsy

Of course, music is not a magical cure towards patients with drug-resistant epilepsy. There is still a substantial proportion of patients that do not find any improvement in the frequency of their epilepsy episodes. In fact, there is a rare subset of patients with epilepsy called musicogenic epilepsy. Patients with musicogenic epilepsy experience seizures that are triggered by music, and, therefore, find music to have completely adverse effects than the desired outcome. 

Still, despite non-perfect results, these alternative treatments may continue to have a large impact on communities affected by epilepsy. Becoming aware and considering all possible therapeutic treatments that could supplement current pharmaceutical treatments is extremely important in determining the treatment schedule of any patient. Adding something as simple as listening to Mozart could increase the overall quality of life of those for which modern medicine is not completely effective. Bringing relief, one note at a time.

Jenny Zhu

B.S. Neuroscience – Class of 2025