Summary: Playing the battery for 90 minutes a week helps teens with ASD to overcome hyperactivity and attention deficits. Learning drum patterns also sharpens brain connectivity in areas associated with inhibitory control and self-regulation.
Source: University of Chichester
Touching the battery for only 90 minutes a week can improve the quality of life of young people diagnosed with autism, a new study has revealed.
The scientists found that learning to play the instrument sharpened the brain networks in autistic teens in as little as eight weeks.
The study was conducted by experts from the universities of Chichester, King’s College London, Hartpury and Essex who worked under its collective group Clem Burke Drumming Project, named after its co-founding member and famous musician. Blondie.
Co-author Marcus Smith, a professor of applied sports and exercise science in Chichester, said: “These findings provide direct evidence that battery learning leads to positive changes in brain function and behavior among adolescents. We are now sharing our results with UK special and conventional education providers who are responsible for the physical and mental development of vulnerable people. “
Autism is a condition of lifelong neurodevelopment that is characterized by poor social skills and interactions, as well as restricted and repetitive interests and activities.
As part of the study, a group of inexperienced drummers received two 45-minute lessons each week over a two-month period. Each volunteer, aged 16 to 20, underwent a drum assessment and MRI before and after the intervention, while the researchers asked their tutors about recent behavioral difficulties.
The results showed that participants who improved their drumming skills showed fewer signs of hyperactivity, inattention, and repetitive behaviors and showed better control of their emotions. MRI scans also revealed changes in their brain function that, according to the study, were related to general behavior.
Professor Steve Draper, academic dean of Hartpury University and co-author of the report, said the paper represents a historic moment as the scientific team begins, through advanced imaging, to understand why the battery is a stimulus. so deep.
He added: “For several years we have been reporting on drum cases benefiting people with Autism Spectrum Disorder, or ASD, and have subsequently worked with a number of people, schools and projects where we have seen first hand the effects. ”
The researchers who led the study, which was published in PNAS, found that after drum training, adolescents had improved synchronicity between the brain regions responsible for inhibitory control, which prevents impulsivity.
Playing the battery for 90 minutes each week helps autistic children overcome hyperactivity and attention deficit difficulties, according to the report. The image is in the public domain
This, according to Reader in Exercise Psychology and co-author, Dr. Ruth Lowry of the University of Essex, highlights the central role of the prefrontal cortex in regulating motor impulsivity.
He added: “The document provides us with the first evidence of neurological adaptations from learning to play the drums, specifically for adolescents diagnosed with ASD. This study supports the changes we have measured and the observations of teachers and parents. to the improvement of social skills, inhibitory control and attention “.
The project, which was funded by the Waterloo Foundation charity, is the latest study by the Clem Burke Drumming Project, which has been investigating how the battery can affect brain development over the past decade.
Renowned imaging scientist Professor Steven Williams of King’s College London, a partner in the Clem Burke project, added: “The drum not only improves the ability to delay the onset of motor responses in autistic adolescents, but also reduces “Hyperactivity and attention deficit disorder. The complementary functional image allowed us to visualize the changes in the brain circuits responsible for self-regulation and motor impulsivity.”
Lead author Marie-Stephanie Cahart, a PhD candidate at King’s College London, said: “This study not only revealed an improvement in behavioral outcomes in autistic adolescents after drum training, but also “There has been an increase in synchronized activity between brain regions that support mental well-being and help navigate social relationships.”
Clem Burke Drumming Project scientists will talk about the study at a conference on Wednesday, July 13, at the University of Chichester, with free tickets available at thesciencebehindthesticks.eventbrite.co.uk.
The team also intends to expand its research on battery and is looking to collaborate with schools or organizations working with people with ADHD, dyspraxia, dementia, and traumatic brain injury, and can be contacted at clemburkedrummingproject.org.
About this research news on ASD
Author: James HaighSource: University of ChichesterContact: James Haigh – University of ChichesterImage: Image is in the public domain
See also
Original search: closed access. “The effect of learning to play the drum on brain behavior and function in autistic adolescents” by Marcus Smith et al. PNAS
Summary
The effect of learning to play the drum on brain behavior and function in autistic adolescents
This current study aimed to investigate the impact of drum training on behavior and brain function in autistic adolescents without previous experience with the drum.
Thirty-six autistic adolescents were recruited and randomly assigned to one of two groups. The drum group received individual drum lessons (two lessons per week for an 8-week period), while the control group did not.
All participants attended a test session before and after the 8-week period. Each session included a drum assessment, an MRI, and a parent filling out questionnaires related to participants ’behavioral difficulties.
The results showed that improvements in battery performance were associated with a significant reduction in hyperactivity and inattention difficulties in drummers compared to controls.
FMRI results demonstrated increased functional connectivity to areas of the brain responsible for inhibitory control, monitoring of action results, and self-regulation. In particular, voxel seed analyzes revealed increased functional connectivity to the right lower frontal gyrus and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.
Multivariate pattern analysis showed significant changes in the medial frontal cortex, the left and right paracingulate cortex, the subchallus cortex, the left frontal pole, the caudate, and the left accumbens nucleus. In conclusion, this study investigates the impact of a drum-based intervention on neural and behavioral outcomes in autistic adolescents.
We hope that these findings will inform further research and trials on the potential use of drum-based interventions to benefit clinical populations with inhibition-related disorders and emotional and behavioral difficulties.