The encephalophone is a neurological instrument invented by an American neurologist that allows disabled patients to create sounds by their mere thought.
- The neurologist relied on the electro-encephalogram (EEG) which makes it possible to record the electrical activity of the brain thanks to the signals emitted by the neurons and recorded by sensors placed on the skull.
- Even very disabled, a patient can, by cerebral impulses, intentionally influence the electrical modulations of his neurons and modify the frequency of a tone or the note of a keyboard which are connected to the electrodes placed on his brain thanks to a computer. .
- In 2019, two quadriplegics gave a concert accompanying a jazz band using this instrument.
Will we soon be witnessing concerts of thought? An American neurologist may well have found the way. Thomas Deuel, also an amateur jazzman, succeeded in creating an instrument, baptized the encephalophone, allowing disabled people to be able to make music based solely on the strength of their thoughts.
A first concert in 2019
The neurologist relied on the electro-encephalogram (EEG) which makes it possible to record the electrical activity of the brain thanks to the signals emitted by the neurons and recorded by sensors placed on the skull. Usually, this device is used to study the brain and identify lesions or other pathologies. Thomas Deuel seized the potential of the EEG and transformed it to design a neurological musical instrument, as described Paris Match. Even very disabled, a patient can, by cerebral impulses, intentionally influence the electrical modulations of his neurons and modify the frequency of a tone or the note of a keyboard which is connected to the electrodes placed on his brain thanks to a computer. .
The instrument is not new and has already been tested. In 2019, an experimental concert took place with a jazz group accompanied by Jeremy Best and Jonathan Sari, two quadriplegics. The latter were able to do their performance lying on their bed, thanks to the instrument designed by Thomas Deuel and 19 electrodes placed on the sensory areas of the cerebral cortex.
Music therapy is on the rise
It’s not the first time that music has been used in medicine. Music therapy is used to improve the well-being of patients and to give them self-confidence by transforming negative emotions into positive ones. Another study revealed that listening to 30 minutes of music a day would reduce the risk of having another heart attack thanks to the reduction in anxiety allowed by listening to music.
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