The Hershey Society for History of Medicine Lecture Series presents “Mindplays of a Ragtime Pianist: A Journey into Brain Function and the Neuroscience of Music” by Kerstin Bettermann, Department of Neurology, Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and Penn State College of Medicine, on April 11.

Betterman will speak from 6 to 7:15 p.m. in the Media Center, T2500 (above the hospital main entrance), with refreshments beginning at 5:30 p.m. The event continues from 7:30 to 9 p.m. on the Cocoa Terrace at the Hershey Lodge adjacent to the Medical Center campus. Refreshments will be provided.

Music is a form of communication which, like language, is inherent to human behavior and brain function. During the first part of the evening, Betterman will briefly examine what the neuroscience of music throughout recent centuries has taught us about how the brain works in areas including synesthesia, neuronal substrates of music, and brain plasticity. The highlighted case study features Bettermann’s research on Bob Milne. Milne is a classically trained professional piano player with perfect pitch known for performing ragtime music. His enhanced auditory processing and multi-tasking abilities allow him to play multiple complex rhythms simultaneously while carrying on conversations and lecturing to audiences on ragtime music history. Findings presented are drawn from behavioral studies, functional brain MRI, and advanced structural brain imaging.

The second part of the evening will allow for a continued examination of Bob’s exceptional gifts, both through Bettermann’s neurological imaging as well as through Bob’s own piano performance. Both presenters will then be available for an informal question-and-answer session.

This event is sponsored by The Doctors Kienle Center for Humanistic Medicine at Penn State Hershey.