The I-pod Brain: Musical Hallucinations
Submitted by Sasha on Tue, 04/17/2007 - 10:03am.
Imagine a world in which you had a song playing non-stop in your head and there was no way to stop it. Your brain was constantly in listening mode and the music in your head was always on full volume. This is what it would be like to suffer from music hallucinations. It is normal to hear an occasional song in your head, but generally it eventually goes away because the brain is bombarded with numerous other signals and stimuli that we are able to focus on instead. Music hallucinations occur when a set of neurons in the brain begin to misfire and patients feel as though they are always hearing music, even though in reality there is nothing playing. There is no other symptom of music hallucination and studies have shown that music hallucination tends to be the only psychosis problem in patients, the main concern being that these hallucinations are very annoying.
One study by Dr. Victor Aziz of St. Cadoc’s Hospital in Wales who studied musical hallucinations in 30 patients show that this psychosis generally occurs in elderly patients- at around 73 years old, 88% of whom are women, and 77% who live alone. [1] Many patients also tend to have some type of hearing impairment. Lesions to the dorsal pons caused by strokes or other sources of brain damage are one way in which these hallucinations can be triggered.[2] What is particularly interesting however is that musical hallucinations don’t activate the primary auditory cortex. According to Dr. Griffiths, a neurologist from the University of Newcastle upon Tyme who works extensively researching music hallucinations, his patients actually used the part of the brain that turns simple sounds into complex music.[3] Researchers believe that these hallucinations may be triggered by a disruption in communication pathways between the sensory centers in the neocortex of the brain and the reticular formation. The disruption may cause musical hallucinations by limiting the function of neurons that stop the brain from hallucinating.[4] PET scans have shown that when patients suffer from musical hallucinations, the areas of the brain that are activated are almost exactly the same areas as those of a person listening to music.[5] The brain is actually stimulating itself in order to hear music from sounds that are stored in the patient’s memory. All the songs that people with music hallucinations hear in their head are songs that they have heard before in their lifetime.
It is believed that the main cause for these musical hallucinations is from the brain not receiving enough sound stimulation. The music processing area of the brain is continuously looking for signals in the brain that they can interpret but if the patient lives alone, or is suffering from hearing impairment; there is no sound to be heard. This seems similar to the mismatch between the sensory and corollary discharge. The brain is anticipating one sort of stimulation and is actually, in this case, not receiving any.
It is particularly interesting that the brain appears to be stimulated in the same areas when hallucinating sound as when actually listening to music. Some patients were able to identify exactly who the singer of the song in their head was as well as they key the music was in.[6] If it is possible to have such an accurate replay of music in our head, and considering our current society is constantly flooded with music, from the grocery store to I-pods, is it possible that we may one day stop being able to distinguish between this music in our head and the music playing around us?
It seems as though as research develops, the distinction between what is a product of our brain and what we are actually experiencing becomes more muffled. Not only with the auditory cortex, but the visual cortex also presents this insight. If what we see and the picture visualized in our head are mainly processed through our visual cortex, then when there is damage to the visual cortex and there is resulting blindsight, anything perceived is purely an internal process. Perhaps similarly, when neurons that transfer sound are damaged, the brain still has a desire to hear sound which can result in these musical hallucinations. The brain does what it can to maintain its senses, even after there has been damage.
There does not appear to be any full proof cures for musical hallucination and it seems as though perhaps these rare hallucinations may begin to occur more frequently. Treatments have ranged from medication to patients simply listening to the radio or moving to nursing homes so that elderly patients receive some sort of cortical stimulation by talking with others.[7] The catch seems to be that since people are becoming more and more dependent on continuously playing music- many people don’t even walk down the street without having headphones on and music playing- perhaps our brains will begin to adjust so that we are never in complete silence. Hopefully the music is good.
[1] Hymns and arias: musical hallucinations in older people in Wales
International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry
Volume 20, Issue 7, Date: July 2005, Pages: 658-660
Nick Warner, Victor Aziz
[2] Rare Hallucination Make Music in the Mind. American Academy of Neurology, August 9th, 2000. Accessed from Science Daily, http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/08/000809065249.htm 4/17/07
[3]Zimmer, Carl. Neuron Networks Go Awry and Brain Becomes an Ipod. New York Times, July 12 2005, http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/12/health/psychology/12musi.html?ex=1278820800&en=6ad31758c7334d06&ei=5090&partner=rss. 4/17/07
[4] Rare Hallucination Make Music in the Mind. American Academy of Neurology, August 9th, 2000. Accessed from Science Daily, http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/08/000809065249.htm 4/17/07
[5] Brain Tortures Humans With Music Hallucination, Pravda, Feb. 13th 2006, http://english.pravda.ru/science/health/13-02-2006/75866-music-0 4/17/07
[6] Hymns and arias: musical hallucinations in older people in Wales
International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry
Volume 20, Issue 7, Date: July 2005, Pages: 658-660
Nick Warner, Victor Aziz
[7] ibid
I have a history of TIA's
I have a history of TIA's (mini-strokes). I also have bipolar disorder. For the last two months I have been awakened from sleep about 8 times in the early morning hours by the sound of a bell or ringing of some sort. It can be the doorbell, a telephone, a school bell, and so forth. It sounds very real, like it is outside my room. It clearly is a hallucination - but otherwise my bipolar condition is stable. I'm wondering whether I'm having a recurrence of TIA's. Or - could it be seizures? Many researchers now wonder whether bipolar illness is on the spectrum of epilepsy disorders. I've been surfing the Web in order to find stories of other people with musical hallucinations. I don't expect to find an answer here in this particular comment section, but I thought I'd throw in my story for interest's sake.
I was wondering how musical
I was wondering how musical hallucinations might decrease quality of life, and interrupted sleep seems pretty unpleasant.
Best of luck with your health.
non stop music in your head
Is there anything that can be done about this problem, such as medicine, retraining your brain or even possibly shock treatments
Shock treatment?! Shock
Music in my head
Ever since I was able to speak I have had tunes playing in my head. Sometimes they are very creative symphonic pieces, other times they are Captain & Tennille's Love Will Keep Us Together, which I awaken to everyday. In fact I have awakened to that song for more than 20 years now.
Sometimes the music is very soothing, but it never really goes away. It's always there, in the background, drowning out conversation around me, distracting me to the point that I often miss important data at meetings. It definitely keeps me from getting a solid night of sleep.
When I walk I wiggle my fingers in time to a song only I can hear, and I often tap on the walls, doors, tables, etc., to a tune that plays over and over and over again.
At first I thought it was just my ADD. But it's more than this. Could it be bipolar? Or am I just going crazy? Well, if it's the crazy route I am following, then it's been more than 50 years in getting to this point. Does it drive me crazy? So, imagine being rather intelligent, some say genius, but not being able to complete anything without such intense focus that your head is splitting from the effort of two or three minutes. After writing this I will get another axe-to-the-cranium headache. Indeed, it's starting even now.
Cheers,
Jeff T.
music in my head...
hi.
yes, this happens to me too. it happens when i'm falling asleep. i'm able to replicate, distort, and create musical symphonies or just your average song into something with a bit more beat. lately, i've been hearing a broadcaster talking, etc late at nite. i don't want to decypher his messsages or even pay close attention since at times i sense they're "messages" if you know what i mean. at times i think i'm going crazy, but in reality i know i'm not since i live a very good meanigful life. i don't have any disorders or take meds but "this" can be annoying. i also have lucid dreams and i'm also very hypersensitive to smells, people, and enviroments. yeah, i complain but i clearly enjoy falling asleep to mozart's 5th symp.
Music in my head
All my life the music never stops. I have add somtimes the music takes over. When I was a child I loved Warner Bros cartoons the sound effects have never left me. I also enjoy laten music and I am not at all Laten. It's sort of funny I am always taping drumming and somtimes dancing. I have a good rumba. I must confess I love it!
But it has a price it drives other people crazy. I don't mean to make lite of this its just the way things are.
Adjouse,
Haunted by Carmen Miranda
Music In My Head
This musical hallucination began for the first time about 10 days ago. At times it's been entertaining, repeating riffs and improvizations from rhythm and blues music. At other times, it's been alarming even though the volume is low. It's certainly been bizarre, the musical genres vary, beginning with country western waltz tunes, then 50's-60's rock n'roll. Those have dropped away and I'm hearing mostly classical and requium-sounding choral music, sometimes all male, sometimes female voices as well. Once there was a gospel-sounding song by an off-key male voice with female backup. I usually don't recognize the melodies. I don't know what's causing this wierd experience I'm having. I fit the scenario I read about, i.e. living alone without much external auditory stimulation. I also have a creative imagination and am an artist. A doctor said maybe having stopped prozac abruptly caused it. I went back on prozac and it did not stop the music I hear. I hope there's some explanation short of a tumor, lesions or the start of dementia. I also have ADD and menopause was just added to the mix.
musical hallucinations
I am most interested in connecting with others who experience & suffer from musical hallucinations. I am willing to participate in any study that may bring me more understanding,perhaps some relief.
My 'music'began 5 yrs.ago-simple tunes,I was then able to switch to religious prayers when I could NO LONGER TOLERATE, "24 bottles of beer in the wall"
Now the I hear Harry James, sounds of a Carousel,Jazz,or final notes of a concert. I CANT CONTROL THE SELECTION Only out of doors city noise can block out the constant music. I fit the profile- I am an active 70yr old female,I have been wearing hearing aids for 35 yrs.
I truly want to connect with others who can understand, sympathise, and share this disorder.
Music in my head
I always have a song going in my head. It has always been that way ever since I can remember, I am now 54 yrs. old. It does not bother me in the least, it is cheap entertainment to me. I duplicate EXACTLY every single note and instrument, not much on the lyrics. I can break apart and seperate each instrument and then pick up the istrument and begin playing the song on it - just match it up - it's easy. I have perfect pitch so I can stop the tune on whatever instrument and go to a piano and pick out the note and it is EXACTLY the same as the real thing. I was always able to detect when disk jockeys were speeding up the songs on the radio to get more commercials in. It is as if I have my own IPOD in my head.
Until I was grown, I didn't realize that not everyone had this going on all the time - I thought it was normal.
Anyway, it doesn't bother me, it entertains me and it doesn't bother others so I guess I'm O.K.
music in my head
I have music in my head and its music that I’ve never heard before. It not all the time but I can pull out parts and change it at will but when I do it sound less loud. I have to try and not focus on it too hard or it well go away. It happens at night most of the time, but it has happened in the day time. Its like nothing I’ve ever heard, it sounds like some new genre that’s like techno but more messy and out of control but yet in a perfect rhythm.
My name is Cody and I’m 16 years old and have symptoms of bipolar and few but some traits of schizophrenia. And I was wondering if this music is because of a mental illness or am I just a musical genius?
Music
My mother suffers from Alzheimers and is taking amenda and exelon. When I first took her to see her PCP the PCP questioned her if she heard music playing at night and my mother's response was yes. My mother had not mentioned that to me. After being on both medicines for about 2 weeks my mother complains of hearing religous songs, first she started complaining that it woke her from her sleep early in the morning and now 4 months in she is telling me that the music is playing almost all the time. It it always religous music and I don't know how to help her. I don't want to stop the meds. I'm plan on taking her to the doctor this week. Any other suggestions?
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