Posted under Blog on June 19th, 2014 by Editorial Team / No Comments

A new, highly addictive online game has been launched attempting to discover the science behind the attractiveness of a musical tune. This new research will gather data from anyone willing to participate, with the aim of providing insights that lead to possible treatments for Alzheimer’s disease.

Hooked on Music features three games to test the listener: picking the catchiest tune, muting a song and seeing if you can keep in time, and a challenge to recognise as many songs as possible in a row. There are songs from every decade from the 1940s onwards, and the games are designed so that anyone can play them.

The game was created at University of Amsterdam, Utrecht University and the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision. The scientists hope the results can better define which musical fragments we find catchiest and will use the information to trigger memories for therapeutic benefits.

DJ and journalist Dave Haslam said: “Everyone knows when they’ve heard something catchy or which resonates with them in some way, and if the results from thousands of people playing the game lead to the scientists discovering how music can help people with serious memory loss, then that would be fantastic.”

Scientists are hoping thousands of people will play the game to help them generate as much data as possible. This type of innovative research is necessary to make progress in the complex, often misunderstood field of Alzheimer’s. The game has already attracted many people wanting to test their musical knowledge online and do their part for Alzheimer’s research.

Do you know your Rolling Stones from your Led Zep? Your Beatles from your Beach Boys? Or how about your Rihanna from your Run-DMC? Have a go at Hooked on Music here.

Tags: Alzheimer's, dementia, Hooked on Music, University of Amsterdam