In response to a couple of requests, I consulted Charlie on what to set for a session on Neurodiversity and Music. On Wednesday 26th March, from 5-7pm GMT we’ll be reading and discussing Harold Heath’s ‘Exploring the relationship between neurodiversity and dance music‘ for DJ Mag (it does what it says on the tin!).
A couple of notes from Charlie on the topic:
- At one point the author claims that ADHD is defined by the brain lacking the neurotransmitter dopamine. Whilst the connection between ADHD and dopamine has been studied, it is only hypothesised that some ADHDers may have fewer receptors for certain types of dopamine neurotransmitter based on genetic data. This is not a definition of ADHD. No one can definitively say there is one clear cause of ADHD and it is likely that lots of differing factors cause the same ADHD traits in different people. In general, I would take any talk about dopamine with a pinch of salt.
- If you fancy a more in-depth look at the topic, an academic article I’d recommend is: Straus, Joseph N. (2011). ‘Prodigious Hearing, Normal Hearing, and Disablist Hearing’, Extraordinary Measures: Disability in Music. Oxford Academic. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199766451.003.0009