The Shadow
BLACKSBURG, Va. – “DJ S-Low” leaned intently over a glowing digital controller, headphones on and head bobbing, as she mixed two tracks by New Order into one seamless transition. Nearby, classmates at their own DJ setups nodded along. After S-Low finished her set, the crowd clapped and cheered — and instructor Craig Arthur sounded an air horn.
It almost felt like a party. But it was a first-of-its-kind research study, meant to examine something many DJs and music-makers with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have suspected for decades.
DJ S-Low, otherwise known as Virginia Tech senior Sophia Barthlow, was one of 60 young adults enrolled in a pilot project exploring whether learning to DJ could help improve symptoms of ADHD. Co-led by neuroscientist Julia Basso and hip-hop scholar Craig Arthur, the study is testing music-making as a creative, movement-based form of non-drug therapy.
“This isn’t about replacing medication,” said Basso, assistant professor in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise who directs the Embodied Brain Laboratory. “ADHD medications can be effective, but they don’t work for everyone. They can come with side effects, and for some people, the effects wear off by the end of the day. We’re exploring whether something like DJing could be another tool people can use to manage their symptoms and support their well-being.”
A meeting of minds — and music
Arthur, associate professor of practice in the Academy of Transdisciplinary Studies and co-founder of VTDITC: Hip-Hop Studies at Virginia Tech, has been DJing since he was 15. Long before he was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult, he found that being behind the turntables helped him focus.
“It’s basically self-care,” he said. “If I go a week without DJing, I feel off. My wife notices. She’ll say, ‘Go spend time in the DJ room.’”
Basso, whose research explores the cognitive and emotional effects of movement-based practices on the brain, had read about Grammy award-winning hip-hop and rap artists who described ADHD as their “magical power.” Her previous research has demonstrated how dance supports social and neural development in individuals with autism, how musical theatre training strengthens brain networks involved in attention and emotion, and how embodied practices such as exercise, yoga, and music therapy improve health and cognition across the lifespan.
When Arthur and Basso met, they realized they shared the same curiosity about whether producing music could help people with ADHD regulate their attention, mood, and focus. With support from the Renée Fleming Neuroarts Investigator Award, they launched the study this fall.
This is your brain on hip-hop
The study drew 60 participants, most of them Virginia Tech students. Half joined an eight-session DJing workshop taught by Arthur using digital controllers and headsets donated by AlphaTheta, formerly Pioneer DJ. The other half served as a control group and watched hip-hop documentaries and music videos.
Sessions ran twice a week for four weeks in the Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology and the Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech. Before and after, Basso and her team tracked a range of metrics: brainwave activity using mobile EEG headsets, physiological responses via wearable monitors, and self-reported assessments of mood, focus, and executive functioning.
“We’re looking at changes across brain, body, and behavior,” Basso said. “Can this kind of immersive, creative practice help people self-regulate? Can it support cognitive and emotional health in a real-world setting?” Study participants got $100, a set of AlphaTheta headphones, and a new hobby.
Barthlow, a senior philosophy major who has ADHD and dyslexia, said participating in the study gave her something to look forward to.
“I get through my classwork because I know I’ve got DJing later,” she said. “It doesn’t necessarily make me more motivated to do stuff I don’t care about, but it makes me feel less terrible doing it because I have something I’m really excited about.” She now wants her own DJ setup.
Julio Gagnon, a mechanical engineering major, said playing the piano and listening to music has helped him manage his ADHD for years. In DJing, he found an additional tool. “It’s like my brain always has too many tabs open,” he said. “DJing helped me quiet the noise and channel my energy. If I can afford it, I’ll probably buy my own [DJ] controller.”
Now that the sessions have wrapped, members of Basso’s team are analyzing the data and preparing findings for publication. If results are promising, they plan to seek larger research grants and expand the study.
“This is about bringing science to something people have experienced firsthand,” Basso said. “It’s about recognizing the power of art, community, and rhythm to support mental health in real, measurable ways.”
