By University Health Network — Medical X Press — 10 June 2020
A new clinical research study by Dr. Marjan Rafiee and Dr. Taufik Valiante of the Krembil Brain Institute at Toronto Western Hospital has found that a Mozart composition may reduce seizure frequency in patients with epilepsy.
The study, published in the journal Epilepsia Open, recruited 13 patients in a year-long trial. After a baseline period, half the patients listened to Mozart’s “Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major, K448” once daily for three months, then switched to a scrambled version lacking rhythmicity. The others did the reverse. Patients kept seizure diaries throughout.
“Our results showed daily listening to the first movement of Mozart K448 was associated with reducing seizure frequency in adult individuals with epilepsy. This suggests that daily Mozart listening may be considered as a supplemental therapeutic option to reduce seizures in individuals with epilepsy,” said Dr. Rafiee. Epilepsy affects approximately 300,000 Canadians and 50 million people worldwide, with 30 per cent of patients finding that medications are not effective in controlling their seizures.