[ti:Grateful Dead Drummer Joins Effort to Study How Rhythm Heals] [ar:Milagros Ardin] [al:Health Report] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]From VOA Learning English, [00:00.92]this is the Health Report. [00:03.43]American researchers say contact with rhythm [00:08.33]may help people with neurological diseases [00:12.55]lead a better life. [00:15.54]The researchers reported the finding [00:18.61]after they carried out experiments [00:22.41]with a famous rock and roll musician. [00:27.12]Scientists say that timing has a major influence [00:32.61]on how the human brain works, [00:35.63]and when the timing is off, [00:38.72]so is the processing of information. [00:43.93]The new study is the work of researchers [00:47.84]at the University of California, San Francisco. [00:53.36]They examined the brain of Mickey Hart. [00:58.11]He is a former member of the rock group [01:02.11]The Grateful Dead. [01:04.07]For the study, he was asked to play electronic drums [01:09.82]as a part of a computer game. [01:13.52]Doctor Adam Gazzaley is a neurologist. [01:18.19]He says the experiments combined neuroscience [01:23.34]with modern technology - gaming and the virtual world. [01:29.36]"So we couple these three different worlds together, [01:32.19]use them to inform each other and create really [01:36.00]the most powerful real time neural activity visualizer [01:39.67]that anyone has ever seen," he said. [01:41.32]Mickey Hart wore a special headgear with sensors [01:45.48]as he played the drums. [01:48.18]In another room, scientists watched [01:52.23]how his brain reacted to the orderly beat or rhythm. [01:58.78]They watched how his eyes move, [02:01.94]they measured changes in his blood flow and body temperature. [02:08.32]All this information showed his brain's activity in real-time. [02:14.99]Mickey Hart says, he is interested in knowing how his brain, [02:20.89]what he calls "the master clock" works. [02:25.41]"What is that power, how do we use it, how to we repeat [02:28.36]and how can we make a better world using the tools [02:31.98]that we have been given. [02:32.97]This super organism, there is nothing better than this, [02:36.23]this master clock," said Hart. [02:37.33]Researcher Adam Gazzaley says he wanted to see if rhythm [02:43.46]could perhaps repair damaged connections in a patient's brain. [02:49.67]"So the idea is that if we can teach the brain [02:53.17]how to become a better timing machine, better rhythmically, [02:56.02]that your brain will perform at a more optimal level [02:58.87]and it will translate into how you interact with the world around you [03:02.03]and lead to a better quality of life," he said. [03:03.69]Mickey Hart has been interested in the power of music for many year. [03:10.05]In the 1980s, he used music to connect with his grandmother [03:15.79]who was suffering from Alzheimer's disease. [03:19.19]She had not spoken in a year. [03:22.25]When he played the drums, [03:24.35]she spoke his name, and started talking again. [03:28.30]Scientists say their goal is to use rhythm training [03:33.85]and even video games to improve brain function. [03:39.26]They believe that when the brain operates efficiently, [03:43.71]people enjoy a better quality of life. [03:48.66]And that is the Health Report from VOA Learning English. [03:53.32]I'm Milagros Ardin. [03:55.61]¸ü¶àÌýÁ¦Çë·ÃÎÊ51voa.com