WEBVTT

00:00:59.080 --> 00:01:00.360
What would happen,

00:01:00.360 --> 00:01:03.840
if you woke up tomorrow morning
in a world without music?

00:01:07.200 --> 00:01:09.560
You would’ve lost something beautiful,

00:01:09.560 --> 00:01:11.040
something that you like.

00:01:11.040 --> 00:01:14.280
But would it be simply a case of
giving up something that you like,

00:01:14.280 --> 00:01:16.840
like eating pizza on Saturday evening?

00:01:16.840 --> 00:01:19.880
Or would you encounter
a much more profound change?

00:01:21.200 --> 00:01:23.040
Music is everywhere,

00:01:23.040 --> 00:01:25.480
it’s found in all cultures,

00:01:25.480 --> 00:01:26.960
in every corner of the world,

00:01:26.960 --> 00:01:30.560
because it’s what allows us
to connect with each other.

00:01:30.560 --> 00:01:32.240
It’s a relational glue,

00:01:32.240 --> 00:01:35.400
just think of what normally
happens at concerts,

00:01:35.400 --> 00:01:38.880
and it’s the soundtrack
to our lives and events.

00:01:38.880 --> 00:01:43.520
Music seems like something
we’ve always had inside us.

00:01:46.200 --> 00:01:48.680
The strange object that you see behind me

00:01:48.680 --> 00:01:53.280
is an archaeological find,
more precisely it’s a bone.

00:01:53.280 --> 00:01:59.280
It’s the bone of a cave bear
dating back to about 55,000 years ago.

00:01:59.280 --> 00:02:01.160
What does it have to do with music?

00:02:01.160 --> 00:02:06.390
Some scholars have focused on this bone,
precisely on these holes;

00:02:06.390 --> 00:02:08.400
and have tried to reconstruct it,

00:02:08.400 --> 00:02:11.880
formulating a hypothesis that,
today is much more appealing.

00:02:11.880 --> 00:02:16.540
In fact, it could be the oldest
musical instrument in history,

00:02:17.360 --> 00:02:21.360
subsequently nicknamed
the "Neanderthal Flute".

00:02:22.760 --> 00:02:24.680
It often happens, what we stumbled upon

00:02:24.680 --> 00:02:27.590
in the first steps of human evolution

00:02:28.120 --> 00:02:31.480
can also be found in the first steps
of our personal evolution,

00:02:31.480 --> 00:02:33.960
as single individuals,
in the evolution of our lives.

00:02:33.960 --> 00:02:40.520
Neuroscience studies show us
that we are natural born musical.

00:02:40.520 --> 00:02:43.240
Our brain as newborns,

00:02:43.240 --> 00:02:44.640
in the first hours of life,

00:02:44.640 --> 00:02:48.360
manage to specifically respond to music,

00:02:48.360 --> 00:02:51.680
musical structure, melody and rhythm,

00:02:51.680 --> 00:02:54.440
to music’s different
emotional nuances.

00:02:54.440 --> 00:02:57.800
Indeed, the presence of music in our lives

00:02:57.800 --> 00:03:00.640
seems to deal precisely with our brain

00:03:00.640 --> 00:03:02.440
and, in particular, with changes

00:03:02.440 --> 00:03:05.840
that occur in the oldest circuits
at the evolutionary level,

00:03:05.840 --> 00:03:09.160
the deepest ones, 
even anatomically speaking.

00:03:09.160 --> 00:03:12.880
A substance plays a key role here

00:03:12.880 --> 00:03:17.680
which is crucial for the regulation
of our behaviour, every day.

00:03:17.680 --> 00:03:19.760
This substance is dopamine.

00:03:19.760 --> 00:03:23.680
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter
that we usually release

00:03:23.680 --> 00:03:27.200
right in the oldest,
deepest areas of our brain

00:03:27.200 --> 00:03:30.640
in response to stimuli
such as food or sex.

00:03:30.640 --> 00:03:33.400
They are stimuli that attract us,
give us pleasure,

00:03:33.400 --> 00:03:36.080
that motivate us, reward us

00:03:36.080 --> 00:03:39.480
and are also somehow related
to our survival.

00:03:40.320 --> 00:03:42.880
However, what we have recently discovered

00:03:42.880 --> 00:03:45.440
is that dopamine is also released

00:03:45.440 --> 00:03:47.360
in response to music.

00:03:48.840 --> 00:03:52.680
So let's see how many of you,
at least once in life,

00:03:52.680 --> 00:03:55.520
listening to a song, a piece of music,

00:03:55.520 --> 00:03:58.680
have experienced this feeling here.

00:04:01.640 --> 00:04:04.760
I’d say at least 90%.

00:04:05.840 --> 00:04:08.880
These are chills, goosebumps

00:04:08.880 --> 00:04:12.800
they’re our body’s physiological
or psychophysiological responses

00:04:12.800 --> 00:04:15.480
that we can link to intense pleasure.

00:04:15.480 --> 00:04:17.880
Part of my research

00:04:17.880 --> 00:04:20.800
precisely focuses
on this kind of phenomena,

00:04:20.800 --> 00:04:23.360
approaching them, however,
in a rather particular way.

00:04:23.360 --> 00:04:26.120
In fact, with colleagues
based in Barcelona and Montreal,

00:04:26.120 --> 00:04:30.640
we directly activated and deactivated
the mechanisms in the brain

00:04:30.640 --> 00:04:35.160
that we thought could account
for these phenomena,

00:04:35.160 --> 00:04:38.680
and in particular
the release of dopamine.

00:04:38.680 --> 00:04:42.430
A pharmacological study allowed us

00:04:42.430 --> 00:04:47.680
to increase and decrease -
temporarily, so don't worry -

00:04:47.680 --> 00:04:50.360
the release of dopamine
in people's brains.

00:04:50.360 --> 00:04:54.700
We did this while our attendes
were listening to music.

00:04:55.840 --> 00:04:58.440
It could be their favourite music

00:04:58.440 --> 00:05:00.800
or pop-rock music we had chosen,

00:05:00.800 --> 00:05:03.200
music that is normally heard on the radio.

00:05:03.200 --> 00:05:04.840
What we discovered

00:05:04.840 --> 00:05:08.240
is that when dopamine increased
compared to when it decreased,

00:05:08.240 --> 00:05:11.120
their pleasure responses also increased.

00:05:11.120 --> 00:05:14.840
Namely, the participants told us
they'd rather hear a certain song

00:05:14.840 --> 00:05:17.581
and they also had more
associated physiological responses:

00:05:17.581 --> 00:05:19.920
shivers, goosebumps.

00:05:19.920 --> 00:05:23.080
Additionally, when the dopamine increased,

00:05:23.080 --> 00:05:26.680
what we call motivational answers
did also increase.

00:05:26.680 --> 00:05:30.040
In this case, the participants
were willing to pay more

00:05:30.040 --> 00:05:32.760
to obtain the song they were listening to.

00:05:32.760 --> 00:05:35.880
Namely, they were willing
to give money to have that song,

00:05:35.880 --> 00:05:37.960
that music in their life.

00:05:39.080 --> 00:05:42.520
So the pleasure and motivation
linked to the release of dopamine

00:05:42.520 --> 00:05:47.180
are key to the understaning
of the role of music in our life,

00:05:47.180 --> 00:05:49.480
or at least why it’s in our life.

00:05:50.200 --> 00:05:52.840
However, the fundamental question remains:

00:05:53.520 --> 00:05:55.480
all of this cozy pleasure,

00:05:55.480 --> 00:05:59.400
so intense that it affects
our lives positively,

00:05:59.400 --> 00:06:01.840
is an end in itself?

00:06:01.840 --> 00:06:05.040
Namely, what is the true
role of music in our lives?

00:06:06.240 --> 00:06:07.580
To try to answer this,

00:06:07.580 --> 00:06:12.270
I suggest to keep exploring
brain activations together,

00:06:12.270 --> 00:06:14.160
and I ask you, as much as you can,

00:06:14.160 --> 00:06:16.520
to try to imagine being here alone.

00:06:16.520 --> 00:06:20.240
Put on your headphones, your earphones,

00:06:20.240 --> 00:06:23.560
and start listening
to one of your favourite songs.

00:06:24.720 --> 00:06:26.120
What will happen

00:06:26.120 --> 00:06:29.160
is that your brain starts to switch on,

00:06:29.160 --> 00:06:32.280
creating a veritable
cascade of activations

00:06:32.280 --> 00:06:38.400
concerning areas that are activated
and regulate our emotions, our behaviour,

00:06:38.400 --> 00:06:40.620
as well as the areas that are involved

00:06:40.620 --> 00:06:45.320
in perception, movement,
language, and memory.

00:06:45.320 --> 00:06:49.400
Music creates a veritable
neural symphony in our brain.

00:06:49.400 --> 00:06:51.400
It activates and modulates it entirely.

00:06:51.400 --> 00:06:56.260
In doing so, it’s able to modulate
the anatomy and its functionality.

00:06:57.450 --> 00:07:00.720
So now we can take
a fundamental step forward.

00:07:00.720 --> 00:07:03.600
Given that most
of these neural substrates,

00:07:03.600 --> 00:07:06.240
most of these areas activated by music

00:07:06.240 --> 00:07:08.920
are actually areas
that we activate every day

00:07:08.920 --> 00:07:14.080
to perform many other activities -
hearing, reading, talking, walking -

00:07:14.080 --> 00:07:17.760
then we can start thinking
about using music

00:07:17.760 --> 00:07:19.800
to stimulate these other regions

00:07:19.800 --> 00:07:23.640
and then these other daily functions.

00:07:24.760 --> 00:07:29.560
That's what have done today
many psychology and neuroscience studies.

00:07:29.560 --> 00:07:36.560
For example, studies on music's ability
to stimulate areas involved in movement,

00:07:36.560 --> 00:07:40.520
and how this can be used
in cases of movement deficit,

00:07:40.520 --> 00:07:42.440
such as Parkinson's disease.

00:07:43.080 --> 00:07:45.200
Or studies focused

00:07:45.200 --> 00:07:48.440
on the close relationship
between music and language:

00:07:48.440 --> 00:07:51.000
music is a veritable universal language,

00:07:51.000 --> 00:07:52.920
and we can use this relationship

00:07:52.920 --> 00:07:57.080
to improve, for example,
dyslexic children’s reading skills.

00:07:57.080 --> 00:07:59.640
Much research has been done

00:07:59.640 --> 00:08:02.560
and, as often happens
in scientific research,

00:08:02.560 --> 00:08:05.852
there is still much to do and support.

00:08:05.852 --> 00:08:09.240
Today I would like to talk to you
about a portion of this research.

00:08:09.240 --> 00:08:11.640
It’s something that
particularly interests me

00:08:11.640 --> 00:08:14.960
but actually profoundly affects us all.

00:08:14.960 --> 00:08:19.600
It’s the relationship that exists
between music and our memories.

00:08:20.600 --> 00:08:23.600
But first, let that neural symphony
activate in your brain

00:08:23.600 --> 00:08:27.760
thanks to the notes that Andrea will play.

00:08:27.760 --> 00:08:31.640
[Music and memory]

00:08:45.360 --> 00:08:48.840
(Music)

00:09:37.560 --> 00:09:40.160
Music has a very strong -

00:09:40.160 --> 00:09:43.320
(Applause)

00:09:47.400 --> 00:09:50.400
Obviously this presentation
wouldn’t have the same value

00:09:50.400 --> 00:09:51.720
without all of this.

00:09:51.720 --> 00:09:53.760
I know it's an added value.

00:09:55.200 --> 00:09:59.320
Music has a very strong evocative power.

00:09:59.320 --> 00:10:04.120
A song has literally the power
to let us travel in time,

00:10:04.120 --> 00:10:07.640
because thanks to a song
we can rediscover feelings,

00:10:07.640 --> 00:10:09.240
experiences, people,

00:10:09.240 --> 00:10:11.640
emotions we associate with that song.

00:10:11.640 --> 00:10:15.760
Perhaps this is what happened to you now
with this version of "Bohemian Rhapsody".

00:10:15.760 --> 00:10:18.560
Judging by the applause, I’d say so.

00:10:18.560 --> 00:10:22.080
Because it’s undoubtedly familiar to you.

00:10:22.080 --> 00:10:23.760
Others recognised the song.

00:10:23.760 --> 00:10:26.520
Fans, immediately, from the first notes,

00:10:26.520 --> 00:10:28.480
and others took a little longer.

00:10:28.480 --> 00:10:29.840
Along with the recognition,

00:10:29.840 --> 00:10:33.680
some remembered the associated lyrics

00:10:33.680 --> 00:10:35.400
and others went beyond this

00:10:35.400 --> 00:10:37.920
and were able to associate this song

00:10:37.920 --> 00:10:40.280
with memories from their own lives.

00:10:40.280 --> 00:10:46.038
We brought music's evocative power
into the laboratory,

00:10:46.440 --> 00:10:50.320
aiming to understand
what its base mechanisms were

00:10:50.320 --> 00:10:53.680
and, therefore, better understand
what was behind it.

00:10:53.680 --> 00:10:58.360
We ran several studies:
on young people, elderly people,

00:10:58.360 --> 00:11:02.200
where we asked them to retain information,
with or without music,

00:11:02.200 --> 00:11:06.560
while monitoring in the meanwhile
their brain activities.

00:11:06.560 --> 00:11:08.240
What we discovered

00:11:08.240 --> 00:11:12.800
is that music can really help us
remember information better

00:11:12.800 --> 00:11:16.480
and in doing so, while it helps
our memory processes,

00:11:16.480 --> 00:11:18.240
it modulates our brains.

00:11:18.240 --> 00:11:21.760
Modulating those areas
that we know are important

00:11:21.760 --> 00:11:26.160
to store and retrieve information,

00:11:26.160 --> 00:11:30.880
as well as areas that are involved
in the expression of our emotions

00:11:30.880 --> 00:11:33.160
and, therefore, our pleasure.

00:11:33.160 --> 00:11:36.400
Here we encounter
our pleasure responses again.

00:11:36.400 --> 00:11:38.840
Here they aren’t an end in themselves:

00:11:38.840 --> 00:11:42.200
they become relevant and fundamental.

00:11:42.200 --> 00:11:44.570
Because we found out,
the better we are

00:11:44.570 --> 00:11:48.857
to activate our pleasure, reward,
and motivation responses

00:11:48.857 --> 00:11:50.440
in reaction to music,

00:11:50.440 --> 00:11:52.120
the more chills we have,

00:11:52.120 --> 00:11:54.853
the more these responses
can activate regions

00:11:54.853 --> 00:11:57.680
that play an important role
in forming our memories.

00:11:57.680 --> 00:12:02.040
And consequently, the benefits of music
on our memory will be greater.

00:12:03.840 --> 00:12:07.480
Obviously, this has
very important implications,

00:12:07.480 --> 00:12:10.400
especially if we consider
cases of memory deficits,

00:12:10.400 --> 00:12:12.880
especially if we consider our society,

00:12:12.880 --> 00:12:15.560
which is experiencing
an increase in ageing,

00:12:15.560 --> 00:12:17.520
both normal and pathological.

00:12:18.680 --> 00:12:21.880
During my research
I had the greatest opportunity

00:12:21.880 --> 00:12:24.200
to see Alzheimer patients

00:12:24.200 --> 00:12:27.280
who were completely
extinguished by the illness,

00:12:27.280 --> 00:12:30.200
being able to recognise
a song from their past

00:12:30.200 --> 00:12:33.800
and emerge from that apathy,
even just for a second.

00:12:36.400 --> 00:12:38.960
Music has the power,
through these people’s emotions,

00:12:38.960 --> 00:12:43.360
to bring back some personal memories,

00:12:43.360 --> 00:12:45.120
that is, memories of their lives

00:12:45.120 --> 00:12:49.590
that seemed lost until a moment before,
precisely because of the illness.

00:12:49.590 --> 00:12:50.690
And in some cases,

00:12:50.690 --> 00:12:54.080
music also manages to facilitate
the learning of new information.

00:12:55.720 --> 00:12:59.680
This type of research lets us understand
a little more about how we operate,

00:12:59.680 --> 00:13:01.400
how our brain works,

00:13:01.400 --> 00:13:04.800
our most complex,
perhaps most fascinating organ.

00:13:04.800 --> 00:13:07.680
I believe, these studies
also teach us something.

00:13:07.680 --> 00:13:11.320
In this case, they teach us
that our emotional responses,

00:13:11.320 --> 00:13:13.920
emotive, pleasure, those we deem

00:13:13.920 --> 00:13:18.200
more instinctive, archaic,
shallow, irrational,

00:13:18.200 --> 00:13:19.760
we can actually take them

00:13:19.760 --> 00:13:25.120
and use them to modulate, improve,
and stimulate cognitive functions

00:13:25.120 --> 00:13:29.280
that instead we deem high and complex,
such as learning and memory.

00:13:31.160 --> 00:13:34.800
All neuroscience and music studies
move in the same direction,

00:13:34.800 --> 00:13:38.520
stressing the importance
of music in our lives.

00:13:38.520 --> 00:13:41.640
In our lives means in our society.

00:13:41.640 --> 00:13:44.800
Not only in our homes, in our headphones:

00:13:44.800 --> 00:13:48.760
but also in education,
when we take our first steps in society;

00:13:48.760 --> 00:13:50.360
and in a clinical setting,

00:13:50.360 --> 00:13:53.840
when instead we deals
with hardships on our journey.

00:13:53.840 --> 00:13:58.440
Music is a powerful instrument,
but this power is non-invasive, cheap

00:13:58.440 --> 00:14:02.800
and not only it can,
it must be accessible to all.

00:14:03.880 --> 00:14:06.840
So let's fill our lives with music,

00:14:06.840 --> 00:14:11.800
giving our brains the chance
to profoundly change, transform itself,

00:14:11.800 --> 00:14:15.080
throughout our entire existence.

00:14:15.080 --> 00:14:17.280
Let's give our brains
the chance to change,

00:14:17.280 --> 00:14:21.280
which is fundamental
for our cognitive functioning.

00:14:21.280 --> 00:14:23.960
Let's listen to music, let’s make music,

00:14:23.960 --> 00:14:26.560
let's not miss out
on even a second of that pleasure,

00:14:26.560 --> 00:14:28.840
of those shivers that it can give us.

00:14:28.840 --> 00:14:31.240
Let’s release as much dopamine as we can.

00:14:31.920 --> 00:14:35.560
But let's carefully choose
the music we listen to today,

00:14:35.560 --> 00:14:39.560
because it could be the very music
that will reactivate us tomorrow.

00:14:39.560 --> 00:14:42.500
Thank you.

00:14:42.500 --> 00:14:46.000
(Applause)