Researchers use hit music to unlock memory secrets

Updated on: 22 June,2014 09:40 AM IST |
Agencies |

A fun online game asks fans to identify song clips and compare them by their catchiness. The findings may help in treating dementia

London: Researchers from the University of Amsterdam have attempted to use hit music tunes, including those by Elvis Presley, Abba and the Spice Girls, in order to unlock the secrets of how memory works. Researchers have created a fun online game, where fans must identify song clips and compare them by their catchiness, to shed light on why some tunes get stuck in people’s head.

Spice Girls whose hit tunes may shed light on why certain songs get stuck in your head. PIC/AFP

The findings might help understand how the memory process works and eventually it could lead to the treatment for dementia. Dr Ashley Burgoyne of the University of Amsterdam said that it has already been established that music has the most powerful effect on memory than other memory triggers but the reason behind it is still unclear.

He further explained that research shows that, if people suffering from dementia listen to their favourite music, it can liven them up, so a better understanding of how the process works and identifying the features of music that seems to lock it in the memory would ultimately help in making better healing clinical decisions. The game was created and launched with the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester.