Music is not only a way to pass the time but it awakens deep emotions. In addition, its therapeutic power to relieve symptoms of anxiety, stress, depression and insomnia has been demonstrated in different studies.
However, there are people for whom the notes of a piano or violin sound as if our upstairs neighbor was throwing pots and pans on the floor, right above our head. This is what is known as amusia, a neurological condition that affects approximately 4% of the world’s population.
People suffering from this problem listen to music but are not able to understand, follow and appreciate it. That is, they cannot distinguish one melody from another since they do not “process” the pitch of the notes. Obviously, amusia should not be confused with people who are out of tune since the latter do not have a neurological problem but are simply not able to follow the notes due to lack of practice or because they do not master the technique.
Those who suffer from amusia cannot realize when they are out of tune and when they are not, nor can they distinguish musical errors from others. Obviously, there are different degrees of amusia, in the most extreme cases music is perceived as an irritating and unpleasant sound.
Some cases are acquired, usually as a result of a concussion or stroke but others are congenital. A study carried out at the National Institute of Health of the United States has revealed that approximately between 70 and 80% of cases of congenital amusia are due to variations in DNA, so it is a problem that can happen from one generation to another.
Normally pure amusia is rare as it usually appears along with other neurological or cognitive problems. Obviously, since understanding and appreciating music is not an essential survival skill, sometimes the diagnosis is made very late.
Of course, there comes a point when the problem is discovered, especially when adolescence is reached and people begin their social lives. Sometimes the parents are the ones who realize it, other times it is the people themselves or everything is triggered by an embarrassing or laughable situation, depending on the point of view from which you look at it. A very curious anecdote about Che Guevara (who suffered from amusia) tells that he once began to dance a passionate tango while the others around him danced to the rhythm of samba.
Neurological studies have revealed that people with amusia have irregularities in the right hemisphere but beyond the primary auditory cortex of the right hemisphere. This would explain why these people do not adequately understand the signals that come to them from the outside. It would be an anatomical-functional defect. In practice, the brain of people with amusia does not notice changes in tone and acts too “violently” in the face of large changes in tone.
Fortunately, the symptoms of amusia can be relieved, at least in children. However, in adults the practice does not seem to have any positive effect, possibly because neuronal plasticity has decreased.
References:
Peretz, I. & Hyde, K. L. (2003) What is specific to music processing? Insights from congenital amusia. Trends in Cognitive Sciences; 7(8): 362-367.
Peretz, I. et. Al. (2002) Congenital amusia. A group study of adults afflicted with a music specific disorder. Brain; 125 (2): 238-251.
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