Brain surgery/musical instrument

Subject: Brain surgery/musical instrument
From: Mary in Kentucky
Date: 16 Jun 05 - 07:09 PM

I just saw a blip on TV for an upcoming Dateline show this Friday night, June 17, 2005. I intend to check it out.

I've long had a fascination with the brain and its functioning - since I suspected I had MS and started studying the various parts of the brain. I also wondered why more doctors didn't have a working knowledge of the types of fine motor control that musicians seem to use and understand everyday. As a scientist, I feel that fine motor control can be measured in a simple, musical way.

Anyway, it sounds like this program will show an operation on a person's brain while they are playing an instrument. I'm curious to know just how much detail is involved. A close friend had retinal surgery/cauterization while conscious in order to direct the docs...could be interesting.

Subject: RE: Brain surgery/musical instrument
From: Deckman
Date: 16 Jun 05 - 07:25 PM

LOOK OUT ... BAD JOKE COMMING!!! If I volunteer myself for this surgery, do you suppose they could teach me to tune my guitar on live camera??? (my appologies for distracting from an obviously serous thread). CHEERS, Bob

Subject: RE: Brain surgery/musical instrument
From: SharonA
Date: 16 Jun 05 - 07:31 PM

Wow! This should be good. Thanks for the tip, Mary! Remind me, please: which US TV network is the "Dateline" program on?

Not sure what your friend's retinal surgery has to do with it, though. FWIW, I had eye surgery in January (a cataract removal and lens implant), and was kept semi-conscious so that the surgeon could direct me to move my eye in the direction he wanted it moved -- hey, there's your motor control! Immediately afterward, I remembered (or thought I remembered) quite a bit of the surgery, but have now forgotten most of it except some blurry visual images of changing shapes and colors, the doctor's directives, and the pain. My cataract was a side effect of earlier surgery on my retina in October '03 (a rather involved retinal reattachment procedure, including lasers, a gastric bubble and a scleral buckle) but, thank goodness, they fully anesthetized me for that one!!

Sharon

Subject: RE: Brain surgery/musical instrument
From: Mary in Kentucky
Date: 16 Jun 05 - 07:45 PM

I think Dateline is NBC.

RE: Retinal surgery

She directed the docs when she could see and when she couldn't see, so they would know how far to go in cauterizing and destroying blood vessels that were bleeding. I assume this surgery will have someone playing an instrument and obseving the effects of the surgery while it is happening... ie. don't go too far!...perhaps probing a bit to see when and how trauma in a certain area affects the fine motor control.

Just my opionion, I could be wrong.

Subject: RE: Brain surgery/musical instrument
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 16 Jun 05 - 11:49 PM

My choice for surgery????

A large, full-sized, BASS acoustic, bow-played instrument - with mahoney-finish.

When the frontal-lobotomey comes.....let it be with the hardened steal spike of a "real bass."

Sincerely,
Gargoyle

Subject: RE: Brain surgery/musical instrument
From: Kaleea
Date: 17 Jun 05 - 12:03 AM

I also have long been interested in new discoveries re the brain--such as the "newly" released info on the male vs female brains made made differently. As a Music Educator in the Special Ed area, I have noticed that Music ability is often possible even when other things such as speech, language, math, motor skills & such are limited or not possible. Please let us know about any conclusions or discoveries.

Subject: RE: Brain surgery/musical instrument
From: Mary in Kentucky
Date: 17 Jun 05 - 10:27 PM

Absolutely fantastic program. It just finished airing, and is not up on the MSNBC website yet, but should be here soon. Then the link will change later.

It was an hour long program, I think the name was Key of Life (I'm not sure). The reporter was Keith Morrison.

In short:
Brian is a professional French horn player. Plays in an orchestra that has recorded background music for Disney movies, Star Wars, NBC News -- listen for the French horn next time you hear those.

He developed a brain tumor the size of a lemon in his left temporal (?) lobe - in his brain, the speech and music area.

Mapping was used prior to surgery using PET, and what is fascinating - during surgery with him conscious in order to give feedback. The map showed the "musical pathway" above and very close to the tumor.

In both instances he was asked to:
1. recognize/verbalize pictures from flash cards
2. listen to and read music
3. "play" a mock Frech horn keypad while reading the notes
4. in surgery, actually hum the notes he was reading

In the surgical mapping, the surgeon actually used electricity to "disable" parts of the brain while the team observed if he lost any of the above abilities.

Much more - but 6 months later he appears to be doing extremely well. Initially there were some personality changes - not sure if they persisted.

This is just a quick "review." Hope it's essentially correct. I'll watch the website for better info. I think most of these programs can be ordered if anyone is interested in a tape.

Subject: RE: Brain surgery/musical instrument
From: Sorcha
Date: 17 Jun 05 - 11:40 PM

WOW! We've come a LONG way baby!

Subject: RE: Brain surgery/musical instrument
From: Pauline L
Date: 17 Jun 05 - 11:54 PM

Thanks for telling us about this. It sounds fascinating. Please keep us updated. I am a recovering neuroscientist and a musician.

Subject: RE: Brain surgery/musical instrument
From: DonMeixner
Date: 18 Jun 05 - 12:16 AM

A Mahoney finish? Is that an Irish varient of a French Polish using a boiled tuber and a sheen of mutton fat?

Don

Subject: RE: Brain surgery/musical instrument
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 18 Jun 05 - 08:07 AM

Hmmm,
if I have one of those operations while reciting lots of puns, do you think they could help me stop?

Subject: RE: Brain surgery/musical instrument
From: Mary in Kentucky
Date: 18 Jun 05 - 08:14 AM

Now that would be interesting. I wonder if the pathways for puns are different from just plain ole speech pathways?

Here is a link to a similar surgery at UCLA (same doc) using the mapping technique.