The Mozart Effect

This review deals with the Mozart Effect, an improvement of performance while listening to Mozart music. Previous studies have shown improved spatial temporal reasoning and improved IQ test results and neurophysiological changes, mainly increased coherence among different groups of subjects. This review emphasizes the effect on epileptiform patterns, both generalized and focal; provides an example of a chronic effect over a period of 1-2 days; addresses the distinctive aspects of the music to account for this phenomenon and shows that long-term periodicity in the power of the music is a special quality; and deals with the melodic line and shows that Mozart repeats the melodic line much more frequently than other well-known composers. It is likely that the superorganization of the cerebral cortex resonates with great organization found in Mozart music.