Oliver Sacks on Music, Memory and Emotion
Oliver Sacks, M.D., noted neurologist and best-selling author of Musicophilia, discusses the impact of personalised music on people suffering from Alzheimer’s and severe memory loss.
Dr. Sacks died on August 30, 2015. He was a wonderful friend to Music & Memory who made important contributions to the conversation around Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia through a lifetime of work and research.
The past which is not recoverable in any other way is embedded, as if in amber, in the music, and people can regain a sense of identity. . . — Oliver Sacks
Why Do the Songs from Your Past Evoke Such Vivid Memories?
In this article that appeared in Psychology Today (12-11-13), columnist Christopher Bergland explains recent research about “music-evoked autobiographical memories” (MEAMs), and why music evokes such strong responses from people with Alzheimer’s Disease.