Finland researcher connects Music with Neuroscience
Finland and other Nordic countries have highly developed systems of music therapy which foster conducive environments for comprehensive research
While taking rhythmic Bharatnatyam steps and listening to Carnatic music as a child, Nandhini Natrajan never realised the deep impact of music on the human mind. Years later, as a student of Biotechnology, Nandhini realised the outcome of combining Psychology and Neuroscience.It was an unconventional idea, but Nandhini decided to do her PhD on this topic.
Finland and other Nordic countries have highly developed and standardised systems of music therapy which foster conducive environments for comprehensive research. “I am extremely lucky to be conducting research on music therapy in a place where the researchers are the practitioners, facilitating a direct translation of research findings into clinical applications,” says Nandhini, who aims to provide neurophysiological evidence for the efficacy of music therapy to advocate its widespread adoption.
Popular science books on Biology that Nandhini read as high school kid at Somerville School, Vasundhara Enclave, New Delhi, introduced her to the unique world of neuroscience. “In retrospect, deciding a career path based on the allure of some books might not be ideal but luckily, it worked out for me. India did not have undergraduate programmes in Neuroscience at that point,” says Nandhini, who pursued BTech (Biotechnology) at Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Chennai.
Her passion took her to Austria, where Nandhini worked as a research assistant to study learning and memory in mice, in the molecular neuroscience lab at IST Austria. “While I was in Austria, I realised that I was passionate about understanding the intricacies of the brain, but animal research was not for me,” she adds. This prompted her to pursue a Master’s in Neuroscience at Teachers College, Columbia University, New York. This programme focused on human subject research which aligned Nandhini closely with her research interests, providing a strong theoretical foundation in Neuroscience. “My project looked at how music can help in memory recall in older adults. Being passionate about music since childhood, working on the intersection of music and neuroscience felt like my calling,” she adds. The thesis was a systematic review on music-based interventions for depression and integrative improvisational music therapy on participants with depression.
Hoping to explore more, Nandhini connected with researchers at University of Jyvaskyla Finland, where studies on neurophysiological mechanisms behind music therapy were conducted. Initially, I was apprehensive about going to Finland, mainly because of the cold, but the work aligned perfectly with my research interests and conversations with other students in Finland gave me the impression that it was a great place to live, she says. Researchers, says Nandhini, must emphasise the significance of prioritising research groups and principal investigators over the university’s name or ranking. Academia in Finland is becoming diverse and are welcoming international talent. “Finns prioritise a work-life balance which is great for everyone’s mental health. However, academia might be different from a corporate job where it becomes more important to know the local language.” Although all master’s programmes have a language requirement, Finnish is a relatively difficult language and people should consider investing time to learn the language if they wish to stay here for long.
All cities in Finland (apart from Helsinki) are relatively cheaper to live as compared to other European cities. Generally, all the courses offered by accredited Finnish universities are recognised globally. However, it is always better to check for your field and programme. For example, programmes in law or therapy or others that are state specific might not be valid in other countries, says Nandhini.
While taking rhythmic Bharatnatyam steps and listening to Carnatic music as a child, Nandhini Natrajan never realised the deep impact of music on the human mind. Years later, as a student of Biotechnology, Nandhini realised the outcome of combining Psychology and Neuroscience.It was an unconventional idea, but Nandhini decided to do her PhD on this topic.
Finland and other Nordic countries have highly developed and standardised systems of music therapy which foster conducive environments for comprehensive research. “I am extremely lucky to be conducting research on music therapy in a place where the researchers are the practitioners, facilitating a direct translation of research findings into clinical applications,” says Nandhini, who aims to provide neurophysiological evidence for the efficacy of music therapy to advocate its widespread adoption.
Popular science books on Biology that Nandhini read as high school kid at Somerville School, Vasundhara Enclave, New Delhi, introduced her to the unique world of neuroscience. “In retrospect, deciding a career path based on the allure of some books might not be ideal but luckily, it worked out for me. India did not have undergraduate programmes in Neuroscience at that point,” says Nandhini, who pursued BTech (Biotechnology) at Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Chennai.
Her passion took her to Austria, where Nandhini worked as a research assistant to study learning and memory in mice, in the molecular neuroscience lab at IST Austria. “While I was in Austria, I realised that I was passionate about understanding the intricacies of the brain, but animal research was not for me,” she adds. This prompted her to pursue a Master’s in Neuroscience at Teachers College, Columbia University, New York. This programme focused on human subject research which aligned Nandhini closely with her research interests, providing a strong theoretical foundation in Neuroscience. “My project looked at how music can help in memory recall in older adults. Being passionate about music since childhood, working on the intersection of music and neuroscience felt like my calling,” she adds. The thesis was a systematic review on music-based interventions for depression and integrative improvisational music therapy on participants with depression.
Hoping to explore more, Nandhini connected with researchers at University of Jyvaskyla Finland, where studies on neurophysiological mechanisms behind music therapy were conducted. Initially, I was apprehensive about going to Finland, mainly because of the cold, but the work aligned perfectly with my research interests and conversations with other students in Finland gave me the impression that it was a great place to live, she says. Researchers, says Nandhini, must emphasise the significance of prioritising research groups and principal investigators over the university’s name or ranking. Academia in Finland is becoming diverse and are welcoming international talent. “Finns prioritise a work-life balance which is great for everyone’s mental health. However, academia might be different from a corporate job where it becomes more important to know the local language.” Although all master’s programmes have a language requirement, Finnish is a relatively difficult language and people should consider investing time to learn the language if they wish to stay here for long.
All cities in Finland (apart from Helsinki) are relatively cheaper to live as compared to other European cities. Generally, all the courses offered by accredited Finnish universities are recognised globally. However, it is always better to check for your field and programme. For example, programmes in law or therapy or others that are state specific might not be valid in other countries, says Nandhini.
(Visited 3 times, 1 visits today)
About The Author
