Mozart's
Sonata for Two Pianos in D major, K.448 (Mozart K.448), has been shown to improve mental function, leading to what is known as the Mozart Effect. Our previous work revealed that epileptiform discharges in children with
epilepsy decrease during and right after listening to Mozart K.448. However, the duration of the effect was not studied. In the study described here, we evaluated the long-term effect of Mozart K.448 on epileptiform discharges in children with
epilepsy. Eighteen children with
epilepsy whose
seizures were clinically well controlled with
antiepileptic drugs were included. For each child, EEGs had revealed persistent epileptiform discharges for at least 6 months. These patients listened to Mozart K.448 for 8 minutes once a day before bedtime for 6 months. Epileptiform discharges were recorded and compared before and after 1, 2, and 6 months of listening to Mozart K.448. All of the children remained on the same
antiepileptic drug over the 6 months. Relationships between number of epileptiform discharges and foci of discharges, intelligence,
epilepsy etiology, age, and gender were analyzed. Epileptiform discharges significantly decreased by 53.2±47.4, 64.4±47.1, and 71.6±45.8%, respectively, after listening to Mozart K.448 for 1, 2, and 6 months. All patients except those with occipital discharges showed a significant decrease in epileptiform discharges. Patients with normal intelligence and idiopathic
epilepsy had greater decreases than those with
mental retardation and symptomatic
epilepsy. Age and gender did not affect the results. We conclude that long-term listening to Mozart K.448 may be effective in decreasing epileptiform discharges in children with
epilepsy in a chronologically progressive manner.