New EU research project on the effects of music on health
Rhythm compels us to move. When we tap our feet or sway our body along with the rhythm of our preferred song, while synchronizing our steps to the beats delivered by our MP3 player during jogging or dancing, our body movements are captured by the regular pulse of music. This tight link between music and movement is confirmed by recent findings in the neurosciences of music, showing that brain regions engaged while processing the rhythm of a musical signal are also activated when we move. However, following the beat of music is not just a pleasant and amusing activity. Moving together with rhythm boosts motor performance, by reducing energy expenditure while we run and by improving movement efficiency (e.g. avoiding falls) while walking. In the BeatHealth project this phenomenon is exploited to create an innovative smartphone application capable of delivering musical rhythm, which adapts to the rhythm of movement with the purpose of boosting motor performance. The conception of this application is guided by state-of-the-art knowledge in movement sciences, music neurosciences, and communication technologies. The key idea of the BeatHealth project is that coupling movement to the beat of music is essential for maximizing the beneficial effects of rhythm on movement. With an overall budget of almost 3 million Euros, the objective of BeatHealth is the creation of an intelligent technological architecture -– BeatHealth – capable of delivering embodied, flexible, and efficient rhythmical stimulation adapted to individuals’ motor performance and skills for the purpose of enhancing/recovering movement activity. BeatHealth will focus in particular on the benefits of rhythmic stimulation for gait and mobility. Kinematic data and stimulation parameters will be collected via the BeatHealth application on the fly, and made accessible online. The proposed method will thus involve a dedicated e-Health service in the form of an age-friendly network-based application in a supportive environment for visualizing and sharing information on movement performance (e.g. for the individual, family, doctors, coaches, etc.). Simple access to this information will empower the user to become aware of her/his motor condition, whether healthy or deficient, and encourage an active and healthier lifestyle toward enhancing performance or compensating for motor disorder. The project capitalizes on the cutting-edge expertise and state-of-the-art technology of five top laboratories across four European countries: Motor control and neuroscience at Montpellier-1 University (France), Psycho-Acoustic and Musicology at the University of Ghent (Belgium), Bioengineering at the National University of Ireland, Maynooth (Ireland), e-Health at the Tecnalia foundation (Spain), and Movement disorders at the Montpellier Academic Hospital (France). The BeatHealth project (36 months) kicked off at the EuroMov research Center in Montpellier (http://www.euromov.eu/(opens in new window)) on 3-4 October 2013. It is coordinated by Pr. Benoît Bardy at Montpellier-1 University.
Countries
Belgium, Spain, France, Ireland