Lecture: Music Medicine – Sound at the Cellular Level | Dr. Lee Bartel TEDx Talk

 

Many years ago, I grew up on a honey farm in Western Canada. Every summer and fall, I worked in the honey house, extracting honey from the combs—a very sweet job. But almost without fail, the same thing would happen: a few drops of honey would fall onto one of the drive belts of the machines, and the belt would start to squeak—squeak, squeak, squeak—driving me crazy.

Just as inevitably, a cricket would wander into the honey house and begin to chirp—chirp, chirp, chirp. What always amazed me was that it didn’t take long before what began as random chirping started to synchronize with the squeaking of the belt.

Why this happened lingered as a question in my mind for many years, until I discovered the principle of entrainment in physics: the phenomenon by which one rhythmic, vibrating object synchronizes with another.

I took that idea and began creating music with a specific rhythmic structure designed to influence brainwaves. Pleasant music, but with rhythms that could help people relax, fall asleep, or focus more effectively.

Much later, I discovered that even a single tone could be enough—specifically, a low-frequency tone at 40 hertz. With this frequency, I found that I could help people reduce pain and even alleviate symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.

The cricket, the music, and this low-frequency tone all have one thing in common: they contain a rhythmic structure capable of influencing cells in the body. My recent research shows that stimulating cells with this type of sound can reduce the risk and impact of certain common health conditions.

 

This may sound surprising, so let me explain.

 

Sound—including music—is essentially vibration: small pressure changes in the air that reach the ear, or that you may even feel through the skin. In the ear, hair cells in the cochlea convert these vibrations into electrical signals, which are transmitted to the brain via the auditory nerve.

When we hear one click per second, we call that one hertz. Five clicks per second is five hertz. Forty clicks per second is forty hertz. Brainwaves are measured in the same way. A frequency of 40 hertz falls within the range of so-called gamma brainwaves.

What we know about the brain is that neurons do not fire randomly. Neurons that fire together form networks. There are brain circuits for movement, memory, and perception. Healthy brain circuits require stable, synchronized brainwaves to function properly.

Research shows that neurons connect most easily around a frequency of approximately 40 hertz. When these connections become disrupted, problems can arise. In movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, motor circuits fail to coordinate properly. In dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, memory circuits become dysregulated.

 

In one of our early cases, we treated a woman who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease six months earlier. She received 30 minutes of 40 hertz sound stimulation three times per week using a chair with built-in speakers that allowed the sound to be felt as vibration.

After twelve weeks, her cognitive test scores improved. She could remember names more easily and appeared more alert and engaged. This suggested that 40 hertz stimulation might help reactivate brain circuits.

In Alzheimer’s disease, we see fewer neurons firing synchronously at 40 hertz. Sound stimulation can increase this synchronization and may help restore neural connections.

 

In a follow-up study with eighteen patients, we observed an average improvement of 13% in cognitive scores after just three weeks. Notably, a control group that simply watched a DVD showed a decline in performance.

One patient continued daily use of a portable 40 hertz sound device at home. Three years later, she had the same cognitive score as at her original diagnosis—an extraordinary stabilization. This case was published and offered hope that we may be able to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

Similar results were observed in fibromyalgia. Patients received 40 hertz stimulation twice per week. Many participants reduced or discontinued medication, slept better, experienced less pain, and had improved mobility. Larger studies, including double-blind trials, confirmed these findings.

Promising results are also being explored in research on depression, Parkinson’s disease, bone density, blood circulation, and recovery after stroke.

What began with observing crickets in a honey house has led to an entirely new field of research: music and sound as therapy at the cellular level. In the future, it may be that doctors prescribe sound stimulation alongside medication—as part of what we now call music medicine.