Johns Hopkins neurologist Alexander Pantelyat is exploring ways to use one of the world’s oldest healing therapies to improve the lives of patients confronting such debilitating neurodegenerative diseases as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
Supported as the Alafouzos Family CIM/HAP Scholar since 2021, the physician/violinist aims to make music and rhythm an integral part of treating aging-related illnesses.
Already, his studies have demonstrated that singing can help mood, speech and quality of life in patients with Parkinson’s disease. And in a study of patients with Parkinsonian disorders and poor gait, he showed that walking to a marchlike beat improved walking — even after the music stopped.
Another innovative study, supported by a generous donation from Anne and Eugene Fife, is evaluating the benefit of music therapy for patients with mild cognitive impairment and mild dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease in their homes. In virtual music therapy sessions intended to stimulate their autobiographical memory, participants first listen to their favorite piece of music, such as Frank Sinatra’s “My Way.” Then they listen to a scrambled version of the piece as well as to a song that is similar but lacks personal meaning for them.
MRI testing looks for differences in brain connectivity before and after the eight-week study. Pantelyat and his team are looking for improvements in patients’ memory, mood and well-being, and they are testing whether the MRI findings can help explain which participants are more likely to benefit from music therapy.
“Previous studies have suggested that exposure to music even for a short period of time could lead to measurable changes in the brain.” Alexander Pantelyat
“Previous studies have suggested that exposure to music even for a short period of time could lead to measurable changes in the brain,” Pantelyat says. “We’re seeing how various networks of the brain respond to music and how that could potentially link back to improving memory loss.”
Justin McArthur, director of the Department of Neurology and a member of the CIM Committee, points out that the CIM/HAP scholarship has been instrumental in supporting Pantelyat’s work at Johns Hopkins, as well as the work of vascular neurologist Elizabeth Marsh, the Rubenstein Family CIM Scholar.
Says Pantelyat, “The CIM support has tremendously accelerated our pace of discovery and enabled us to take on several key projects that would otherwise have been delayed or may not have moved forward at all!”
