Biology and the Beat
“We are looking at really broad factors of how we can use music and study music to impact social engagement, emotional well-being and community inclusion for individuals both with and without autism and other developmental disabilities,” said Lense, who is the principal investigator in the studies. “We are bringing together people with different areas of expertise to bring new perspectives to the field of music cognition.”
Country Music And Brain Research Come Together At Nashville Summer Camp
Speaking to Emily Siner on NPR's All Things Considered, Dr. Miriam Lense discusses the intersection of neuroscience research and country music at Vanderbilt University's Williams syndrome camp for individuals with Williams syndrome. A clinical scientist with research and clinical expertise working with individuals with Williams syndrome and other neurodevelopment disorders, Dr. Lense aims to better understand the social, cognitive, and affective processes of these individuals through the approaches of auditory neuroscience/music cognition and stress biology.
A Musical Awakening
About a year ago, in a crosswalk at the corner of Natchez and Blakemore, I was hit by a car. I was hospitalized for a month after sustaining a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and other serious injuries. When I woke from my coma, the first thing I remember was asking my mother for my computer. I went on YouTube and listened to Beethoven’s Sixth Symphony, the Pastoral Symphony.
Music Cognition as a Window into Development
Twin A wailed as the nurse administered the heel stick. His heart rate jumped up nearly 70 beats per minute and he tightly squeezed his eyes shut. Nine weeks premature, he endured painful heel sticks and neurologic examinations as part of his daily routine. He was certainly not desensitized to the poking and prodding. When the nurse was finished, I turned on the speaker, letting lullabies softly play into the isolette. His heart rate declined to baseline and the music soothed him to sleep.
The Rhythm of Research in the Music Cognition Lab
The world of pre-meds at Vanderbilt is unforgiving, lonely and at times unrewarding. It is a community of students with the determination of steel and a “do it or die trying” attitude. “All I have to do is beat the curve” is the mantra of many as we prepare for battle against our peers in pursuit of the A’s that are only given to 10 percent of the class. Amidst this harsh and cutthroat environment, I have found an oasis that has reminded me of my love for science once again—the Music Cognition Lab.
Can music training improve language outcomes in children? Program for Music, Mind and Society provides violin lessons for children with language impairments
It’s late afternoon and the sun is slanting through the window. Four violins, three children, three parents and one teacher are gathered in a room. As the teacher plays a series of rhythmic notes on her violin, the children imitate and the parents encourage. Soon we see the children initiate and the teacher adapts. This transactional model of learning seems to transcend traditional verbal instruction. Good thing, too, because these three children have a disorder called specific language impairment (SLI).
