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Music: A Brain Enhancer?

Yune S. Lee is wearing a dark blue blazer with lights, landscape. Close-up.

Over Coffee

What’s your all-time favorite song? Is there a piece of music that takes you back to a different time and place? And is there a band whose latest release you’d never miss? And, could all of the above have a beneficial effect on your brain? Particularly in the areas of speech and language? Cognitive neuroscientist (and musician!) Dr. Yune Lee and his team are researching that question. Among the areas they’re exploring: the connection between rhythm and language, how music may help patients with Parkinson’s disease, and the possibility that Alzheimer’s patients may benefit from music therapy. Currently, Dr. Lee and his team have six ongoing research projects listed on the SLAM Lab’s webpage – including one which focuses on rhythm-based language improvement. He and his team are also working on the Speech Hero app, a home-therapy app for aphasia patients. Hear Dr. Lee talk about his creative journey, discuss some of his findings on the ways music may affect our brains, and preview what’s next. Listen to the podcast.

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Yune S. Lee, PhD

Assistant Professor; Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing; School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences; Director of Speech, Language, and Music (SLAM) Laboratory

Related Information

Neurological Music Therapy for Speech and Language Rehabilitation

Because many individuals with aphasia can sing even when they cannot talk, melodic-intonation therapy has been accepted as a viable aphasia therapy.