Music, Medicine, and the Neurobiology of Creativity

'Research on the processes behind the creation and practice of music are reaching maturity and so, finally, is the study of the medical applications of music. Pearl and Arfaie bring you up to date in their new volume.' Antonio Damasio, Professor of Psychology and Director of Brain and Creativity Institute, University of Southern California
'This contribution to the neurobiology of creativity presents several fascinating multidisciplinary approaches to music and medicine. The various modes of inquiry include sophisticated neuroscience, personal anecdotes, historical perspectives and everything you would expect from creative scientists who dare to study the ins and outs of creativity.' Suzanne B. Hanser, President, International Association for Music & Medicine
'It has been said that medicine is both an art and a science, but this book makes it clear that there is also a science to art and creativity. The common view of creativity as a mysterious solitary struggle is not so much wrong as it is incomplete, for we now know that neural networks and even genetic factors combine with environmental and cultural influences to support creativity. Also included are a series of music-oriented clinical discussions and fascinating case histories of famous composers, ensuring that anyone with an interest in neuroscience or creativity will enjoy this excellent book.' E. Steve Roach, Professor of Pediatrics and Neurology, Dell Medical School
'Music, Medicine, and the Neurobiology of Creativity takes us through an exciting primordial journey of human civilization by seeking to illuminate the complex, inextricably interwoven neurobiological cortical networks and substrates that underlie musical creativity, which is uniquely human. It then chronicles the history of music intertwined with the often devastating neurological diseases affecting great musical masters and their musical prowess. This boldly creative and visionary work articulates the innate and universal evolutionary impact and power of musical melodies, harmony, varying timbres, and different tempos and rhythms on human cerebral development, physiologic responses, emotional engagement, and social bonding. This resonates with both the visual and literary arts in evoking a deeper understanding and empathy for one another, empowering human resilience, and promoting healing through stimulation of neuronal plasticity and balance in clinical practice and life, as a fundamental cornerstone of our uniquely shared humanity. This closing concept is so eloquently expressed by the cited Hippocratic quote, 'Wherever the art of Medicine is loved, there is also a love of Humanity.' The authors ignite, inspire, and challenge our intellectual curiosity and compel us to understand more deeply the intricate neurobiology of creativity within the rich earth of our inner essential responses and how it shapes our humanity. This book is truly a rare treasure.' Ingrid Tein, Director and Founder, Neurometabolic Clinic and Research Laboratory, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto
'In this wide-ranging book, Drs. Pearl and Arfaie have brought together experts in many domains, from neurology to music therapy to education, to examine creativity, with a special focus on music, its functions and dysfunctions. The result is sure to prove of interest to anyone interested in how this fundamental human capacity for artistic expression emerges from our brain's functional features.' Robert Zatorre, Professor and Canada Research Chair, Montreal Neurological Institute and author of From Perception to Pleasure: The Neuroscience of Music and Why We Love it
'Pearl and Arfaie, together with colleagues in clinical and basic neuroscience (many of whom are accomplished musicians), provide us with an eclectic collection of extraordinary essays regarding the neurobiology of creativity. While the interrelationship of music and medicine is a primary focus; including cerebral localization, neurogenetics and eight brilliant chapters on neurological ailments of great composers; the volume also covers the healing effects of poetry, art, and narrative medicine.This impressive book will most certainly attract a diverse readership.' Sidney M. Gospe, Jr, Professor Emeritus of Neurology and Pediatrics, University of Washington, and Adjunct Professor of Pediatrics, Duke University
'This book takes us on a tour of musical creativity and the brain, lending insight into one of the most interesting aspects of the human experience.' Michael D. Fox, Raymond D. Adams Chair and Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School
'If one were going to try to identify functions that are both uniquely and universally human, the capacity to make and appreciate music would be among the most common and obvious candidate (perhaps only second to language itself). Philip Pearl and Saman Arfaie, both accomplished musicians, have brought together what may be the definitive volume representing the state of the art of science seating music, and musical creativity in its biological and neurobiological context. Both academic and lay audiences will be captivated by this collection of reviews of the basic science in this area, a series of presentations of how neurological disease impacted the lives of a number of well-known performing artists and composers, and how music can impact clinical practice in medicine. This book offers a prodigious yet accessible and fascinating sampling of what has become a rigorous and mature branch of neuroscience, a text that should not be missed.' William Milberg, Professor of Psychology, Harvard Medical School