Music could help schizophrenics who hear voices

LISTENING to music helps people suffering from schizophrenia who hear voices, research has found.

People who are better at learning an instrument have more white matter in an area of the brain that protects against the mental disorder, a study has found. It means musical training could be a therapy for patients who experience auditory hallucinations.

Amy Spray, of the University of Liverpool, said: “These results could have important clinical implications.

“If musical aptitude increases the white matter integrity of the corpus callosum, musical training could potentially counteract an individual’s predisposition of hallucinations.”

The study, published in the journal Schizophrenia Research, found a link between brain structure and an individual’s risk of experiencing hallucinations and their musical aptitude.

Ms Spray said: “Future research should address whether rehabilitation approaches that include musical training can benefit patients with psychosis.” Figures suggest around one per cent of the world population have schizophrenia, with 220,000 diagnosed in England and Wales.