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Neuro-Musicology of Opera

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Effects of Opera Music from Brain to Body

Part of the book series: Neurocultural Health and Wellbeing ((NHW))

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Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of the main studies available in the scientific literature that have investigated the effects of opera on the human brain and its possible application for the treatment of different health problems. Opera includes several components that make it an all-encompassing artistic form and a source of multimodal sensory stimulation for the human brain. Thanks to the profound interaction between its various components, opera can evoke emotions and heighten their expression as signified by the text and presented in the staged action. The exact mechanisms underlying the intense emotional response it evokes in the spectator are still far from being fully elucidated. They probably include the activation of the human mirror neuron system and the cerebral areas underlying language, action, and music and their ability to express meaning and emotions. The effects of opera on music-induced emotions and their physiological correlates could be used for the treatment of health problems. Despite some intriguing data, the studies evaluating the effectiveness of “opera therapy” are scarce and almost exclusively confined to the treatment of dementia. Future research in this field should clarify the psychophysiological effects of opera as a whole artistic experience and each of its components. Further studies are warranted to identify which health disorders may especially benefit from “opera therapy” and whether there are differences in clinical effectiveness compared to other music therapies.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, Hospital of Merano-Meran (SABES-ASDAA), Merano-Meran, Italy

    Francesco Brigo

  2. History of Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy

    Alessandro Porro

  3. Neurology Unit, ASST-Lecco, Merate Hospital, Merate, Italy

    Lorenzo Lorusso

Authors
  1. Francesco Brigo
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  2. Alessandro Porro
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  3. Lorenzo Lorusso
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lorenzo Lorusso .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Neurology Unit, A.S.S.T. Lecco-Merate, Merate, Italy

    Lorenzo Lorusso

  2. School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca; Occupational Health Unit, Fondazione IRCCS San Gerardo dei Tintori, Monza, Italy

    Michele Augusto Riva

  3. History of Medicine, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy

    Vittorio Alessandro Sironi

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Brigo, F., Porro, A., Lorusso, L. (2023). Neuro-Musicology of Opera. In: Lorusso, L., Riva, M.A., Sironi, V.A. (eds) Effects of Opera Music from Brain to Body. Neurocultural Health and Wellbeing. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-34769-6_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-34769-6_5

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-34768-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-34769-6

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