Singing in a choir can help those recovering from stroke and brain injury, a Hunter researcher has discovered.
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According to a Swedish research project – involving Hunter Medical Research Institute director Michael Nilsson – the cardiovascular impacts of choir singing may have implications for stroke and brain injury recovery.
The study titled “Music determines heart rate variability of singers” has revealed that when people sing in a choir their pulses become synchronised.
The researchers believe that singing demands a slower than normal respiration, which is coupled with heart rate variability known as Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia. RSA is seen to be more marked during slow-paced breathing and at lower respiration rates.
“Previous research has found that musicians performing together have synchronised brain waves and now we’re seeing it with the heart rate,” Professor Nilsson, a translational specialist in neuroscience, said.
“The object of this study is to find new forms where music may be used for medical purposes, primarily within rehabilitation and preventative care.”
An example is the Hunter Medical Research Institute’s Brainwaves Choir.
“The choir has shown that participating in music and being in a happy environment has important benefits for mental health and may help the language centre recover as well.”
The next step for investigators will see whether the biological synchronisation of choral singers can create a shared mental perspective that strengthens the ability to collaborate.
