Epilepsy drug turns out to help adults acquire perfect pitch

[n2doc]

By Scott Kaufman
Monday, January 6, 2014 9:50 EST

A team of researchers from across the globe believe they have discovered a means of re-opening “critical periods” in brain development, allowing adults to acquire abilities — such as perfect pitch or fluency in language — that could previously only be acquired early in life.

According to the study in Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience, the mood-stabilizing drug valproate allows the adult brain to absorb new information as effortlessly as it did during critical windows in childhood.

A critical period is “a fixed window of time, usually early in an organism’s lifespan, during which experience has lasting effects on the development of brain function and behavior.” They are, for example, what allows children to enter into language without any formal training in grammar or vocabulary.

The researchers postulated that because such periods close when enzymes “impose ‘brakes’ on neuroplasticity,” a drug that blocks the productions of those enzymes might be able to “reopen critical-period neuroplasticity.”
more

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/01/06/epilepsy-drug-turns-out-to-help-adults-acquire-perfect-pitch-and-learn-language-like-kids/

[BlueStreak]

1. The implications go way beyond pitch, of course

Many of the finest musicians in the world get along just fine without perfect pitch. In fact, sometimes it is actually an advantage for a musician to NOT have perfect pitch.

But the point here is that this is further evidence against the old theory that the brain does not and cannot continue to develop after childhood.

[gaspee]

2. This is pretty exciting (n/t)

[yellowcanine]

3. Title a bit misleading......subjects did not acquire perfect pitch.

The results were that those who took the valproate scored much higher on pitch tests than those who underwent similar training but only took the placebo.

This is certainly impressive and it holds promise that some people might be able to acquire perfect or absolute pitch with the help of this drug in addition to conventional music training but it is unlikely that many will - after all, everyone goes through a period of neuroplasticity (how children acquire language so quickly) but only about one in 10,000 people have absolute or perfect pitch. In contrast, nearly 100% of children acquire language skills so there must be more involved than this critical period of neuroplasticity.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absolute_pitch

[defacto7]

11. It's an interesting but quite misunderstood ability.

Without going into it, that subject has a lot to do with one of my life long trades. Even the wiki is not quite hitting the mark. There is a difference between absolute pitch and acquired aural memory. Absolute pitch is a genetic trait; you are born with it or you're not and it cannot be acquired. The ability to remember pitches is what this article is dealing with, not absolute "perfect" pitch which is also a misnomer as there is no such thing as perfect pitch; all pitches are relative. If I remember correctly 98% of Vietnamese have absolute pitch by birth. Their language must be spoken in the correct pitch to be communicated correctly.

[intaglio]

4. Problem - it seems to damage the fetus when used by pregnant persons

additionally this is the sort of story drug companies put out to widen the market and hence profitability.

I'd like to see better research on this.

[grasswire]

5. would it also help intellectually delayed to gain ground?

Parents of "special needs" children would rejoice at such a miracle.

[Victor_c3]

7. - and perhaps people with serious head injuries too n/t

[Stargazer09]

9. That would be awesome!

But I'd want more testing, to avoid a Flowers for Algernon ending.

[7962]

14. Wow, its been YEARS since I heard a reference to that!!

[Stargazer09]

15. I'm showing my age

It was assigned in high school, way back in the 80's.

I need to reread the book.

[7962]

16. I thought the same thing; and I graduated in the late 70s. But the story is timeless! nt

[Stargazer09]

17. Yes, it is timeless

And it has a new meaning now that I have a son with special needs.

[Arger68]

6. Taking of this drug should be mandatory

on karaoke night at the bar!

[BlueToTheBone]

8. I'd like to try that!

I can think of several things I'd like to learn, but am having great difficulty in so doing.

[mopinko]

10. well the drug is widely used

should be easy enough to verify.

[Yo_Mama]

12. That drug class carries serious side effects

Under no circumstances would you want to use valproate or any other valproic acid formulation for this sort of thing.

Just a caution.

[LuvNewcastle]

13. Yes it does. I took it for about a year, and I gained 80 pounds while on it.

I'm pretty surprised that it can help people learn more easily. It made me feel dumb and foggy, and I slept a lot. If it could be effective on a very minimal dose, it might not be that harmful, but the drug has so many bad side effects that most people wouldn't be able to stay on it for very long on a regular dose.