Their music is one of the most influential examples of mind-altering psychedelic rock.
But scientists say listening to Pink Floyd really does have an effect on your brain cells – and could make them more susceptible to future treatments for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
The surprising finding comes from a study in which researchers played the band’s 1979 hit, Another Brick In The Wall, and monitored the impact it had on brain cells in humans and mice.
They found the low-frequency sounds in the song made cells ‘vibrate’ and caused certain parts of the brain to ‘light up’, indicating greater activity, and triggering the release of certain proteins.
This increased activity could help scientists deliver medicine to treat complex neurological conditions directly into the brain, researchers at the Israel Institute of Technology said.
Scientists have long puzzled over how to get medication across the blood-brain barrier – a thin membrane which protects brain cells from damaging pollutants in the blood but also stops most drugs.
The most promising way is using microscopic bubbles known as lipid nanoparticles, which have been used to carry the genetic material in Covid vaccines through the body.
They are so small that thousands of them could fit across the width of a human hair.
Scientists say listening to Pink Floyd could make them more susceptible to future treatments for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s
The latest study shows that low-frequency sounds such as those in Pink Floyd’s music can boost the absorption and effectiveness of these lipid nanoparticles in the brain by up to ten times by making brain cells more active.
Such findings suggest that music could one day be used as a gentle, non-invasive way to enhance treatments for brain diseases.
‘When you go into a dance hall and hear the thump-thump-thump of the bass, it feels as though your body is vibrating. That is what is happening to the brain when Pink Floyd is played,’ explains
Professor Avi Schroeder, who led the team alongside Dr Patricia Mora-Raimundo.
‘This low-frequency sound could be a valuable tool for enhancing drug delivery to specific brain areas. It opens up new possibilities for precision medicine, where sound waves are tailored to activate specific brain regions for targeted treatment of neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.’
Treatments for both degenerative diseases are limited and only delay progression of the disease.
But one of the most promising treatments is gene therapy, which could boost healthy brain cells or repair or replace faulty genes inside cells. Lipid nanoparticles are being investigated as a way to deliver such therapies.
The human volunteers for the study, reported in the Journal of Controlled Release, were played different types of music at different frequencies while inside an MRI scanner. The Pink Floyd hit was the most successful at creating activity in key areas of the brain.
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