Emory University has received a $200,000 grant from the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America to support research on how engagement with the arts may promote brain health and emotional well-being. The research is led by Monica W. Parker, MD, who heads outreach, recruitment, and engagement for Emory’s Goizueta Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at the Emory Goizueta Brain Health Institute.
The funding will help launch a community-based participatory research project involving the Emory Goizueta Brain Health Institute, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO), and Performance Hypothesis. This collaboration is part of the newly established Arts + Health Laboratory: Georgia’s NeuroArts Coalition, announced in October by the Woodruff Arts Center. The initiative aims to bring together academic institutions, nonprofits, and community groups to study how arts experiences impact brain and overall health and to use scientific findings to increase access across schools, healthcare systems, and communities in Georgia.
“This began with a simple wish — to bring people together through art and music while helping them learn about the brain,” said Shirley Fields, a research participant at Emory’s Goizueta Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and member of its Community Coalition. “Music reaches parts of us that words can’t. By partnering with Emory and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, we’re showing that brain science is for everyone — not just researchers.”
The Emory Goizueta Brain Health Institute intends to explore how artistic activities like music may help maintain or improve brain function throughout life. The research also seeks to understand whether these interventions can boost emotional well-being and social connections for people experiencing cognitive changes as well as their caregivers.
“The intersection of neuroscience and the arts represent one of the most promising frontiers in brain health,” said Allan Levey, MD, PhD, executive director of Emory Goizueta Brain Health Institute. “Through this partnership with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, we are translating science into human experience — studying how creative engagement can strengthen connection, lift mood and potentially slow the effects of cognitive decline. This is exactly the kind of collaboration that reflects Emory’s mission to improve lives through innovation and community.”
To mark the start of this partnership, selected program participants attended a “Christmas with the ASO” concert in December hosted by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. The event provided an opportunity for attendees to enjoy live orchestral music while contributing data for ongoing research.
For additional information or ticket purchases for upcoming ASO performances, visit their website.
The Emory Goizueta Brain Health Institute focuses on developing innovative approaches in predicting, preventing, and treating brain diseases through interdisciplinary collaboration at Emory University.
The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra offers over 150 concerts annually under Music Director Nathalie Stutzmann and works closely with its Grammy Award-winning chorus led by Norman Mackenzie.
Performance Hypothesis is an Atlanta-based firm specializing in evaluating arts-related health outcomes through collaborations with organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and The Carter Center.
