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Music is all in the mind

Nature (2011)Cite this article

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A brain–computer interface allows paralysed patients to play music with brainpower alone.

A pianist plays a series of notes, and the woman echoes them on a computerized music system. The woman then goes on to play a simple improvised melody over a looped backing track. It doesn't sound like much of a musical challenge — except that the woman is paralysed after a stroke, and can make only eye, facial and slight head movements. She is making the music purely by thinking.

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References

  1. Miranda, E. R., Magee, W. L., Wilson, J. J., Eaton, J. & Palaniappan, R. Music and Medicine advance online publication doi:10.1177/1943862111399290 (2011).

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  1. Philip Ball
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Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability

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Ball, P. Music is all in the mind. Nature (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/news.2011.113

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/news.2011.113

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