Mozart Effect and Its Clinical Applications: A Review
W. Verrusio *
Department of Cardiovascular, Respiratory, Nephrological, Anesthesiologic and Geriatric Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161 Roma, Italy.
F. Moscucci
Department of Cardiovascular, Respiratory, Nephrological, Anesthesiologic and Geriatric Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161 Roma, Italy.
M. Cacciafesta
Department of Cardiovascular, Respiratory, Nephrological, Anesthesiologic and Geriatric Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161 Roma, Italy.
N. Gueli
Department of Cardiovascular, Respiratory, Nephrological, Anesthesiologic and Geriatric Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161 Roma, Italy.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Recent research efforts examining the effects on the brain of listening to music have discovered that music, with specific characteristics, is able to improve cognitive and learning capacity. Recent studies have demonstrated that music, in particular some musical compositions (such as those of W. A. Mozart and J. S. Bach), has a notable role not only in cognitive disturbances, but also in the treatment of several syndromes and diseases, either by rehabilitating or by stimulating cerebral synaptic plasticity. The Mozart Effect was described for the first time in 1993. Subsequently, other studies with similar designs were made. This review summarizes the recent scientific literature on the Mozart Effect. More studies are needed, in order to define specific protocols in which music helps clinicians in recuperating patients and in improving their quality of life.
Keywords: Music, Mozart effect, cognitive capacity, Pleiotropic effects, quality of life.