Musical components important for the Mozart K448 effect in epilepsy.

There is growing evidence for the efficacy of music, specifically Mozart's Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major (K448), at reducing ictal and interictal epileptiform activity. Nonetheless, little is known about the mechanism underlying this beneficial "Mozart K448 effect" for persons with epilepsy. Here, we measured the influence that K448 had on intracranial interictal epileptiform discharges (IEDs) in sixteen subjects undergoing intracranial monitoring for refractory focal epilepsy.

40-Hz auditory stimulation for intracranial interictal activity: A pilot study.

Objectives: To study the effects of auditory stimuli on interictal epileptiform discharge (IED) rates evident with intracranial monitoring.

Materials And Methods: Eight subjects undergoing intracranial EEG monitoring for refractory epilepsy participated in this study. Auditory stimuli consisted of a 40-Hz tone, a 440-Hz tone modulated by a 40-Hz sinusoid, Mozart's Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major (K448), and K448 modulated by a 40-Hz sinusoid (modK448).