Parkinson's Awareness Month: 30 Days- 30 Stories/ Day Five- Mickey Hart, Percussion and The Brain

 This is Mickey Hart. He's best known as the drummer for the Grateful Dead.

He's always been interested in different percussion sounds from around the world. In fact, not just the world but the universe.

Hart has also been able to use percussion in healing. In the 1980's, his grandmother was suffering from an advanced case of Dementia. She was at the point where she didn't recognize her family.

He found that he was able to reach her through percussion. The sounds apparently found a part of her brain that allowed her to speak his name.

Hart is at it again. As part of his concerts, there's a light show. Mickey puts on this cap with electrodes. The lights are then transmitted by the data produced from his brain.

He also has been working with researchers from The University of California at San Francisco. Everyone admits it's cool stuff but it's more art than science.

Does this have the possibility of becoming more art than science? Maybe, maybe not. They're working on it but it's a long ways off. The article below explains it much better than I can.

http://www.npr.org/.../this-is-musician-mickey-harts...

Tomorrow- Music Therapy for Me