Exceptional Preservation of Memory for Tunes and Lyrics Case Studies of Amusia, Profound Deafness, and Alzheimer's Disease

摘要

Four elderly persons with neurologic impairments of differing etiology and differing cognitive profiles presented unexpected patterns of memory for tunes and song lyrics. Impairments included profound deafness, right-hemisphere stroke, and dementia of the Alzheimer's type. Patterns for the impaired individuals differed according to the disorder, but each person had some scores within the range for 90 healthy seniors. We suggest implications for models of brain organization for musical memory.