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Progress in Brain Research 2015Music listening and music making activities are powerful tools to engage multisensory and motor networks, induce changes within these networks, and foster links between... (Review)
Review
Music listening and music making activities are powerful tools to engage multisensory and motor networks, induce changes within these networks, and foster links between distant, but functionally related brain regions with continued and life-long musical practice. These multimodal effects of music together with music's ability to tap into the emotion and reward system in the brain can be used to facilitate and enhance therapeutic approaches geared toward rehabilitating and restoring neurological dysfunctions and impairments of an acquired or congenital brain disorder. In this article, we review plastic changes in functional networks and structural components of the brain in response to short- and long-term music listening and music making activities. The specific influence of music on the developing brain is emphasized and possible transfer effects on emotional and cognitive processes are discussed. Furthermore, we present data on the potential of using musical tools and activities to support and facilitate neurorehabilitation. We will focus on interventions such as melodic intonation therapy and music-supported motor rehabilitation to showcase the effects of neurologic music therapies and discuss their underlying neural mechanisms.
Topics: Brain; Humans; Music; Music Therapy; Nervous System Diseases; Neuronal Plasticity
PubMed: 25725918
DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2014.11.029 -
The Cochrane Database of Systematic... Jun 2013Patients awaiting surgical procedures often experience significant anxiety. Such anxiety may result in negative physiological manifestations, slower wound healing,... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
Patients awaiting surgical procedures often experience significant anxiety. Such anxiety may result in negative physiological manifestations, slower wound healing, increased risk of infection, and may complicate the induction of anaesthesia and impede postoperative recovery. To reduce patient anxiety, sedatives and anti-anxiety drugs are regularly administered before surgery. However, these often have negative side effects and may prolong patient recovery. Therefore, increasing attention is being paid to a variety of non-pharmacological interventions for reduction of preoperative anxiety such as music therapy and music medicine interventions. Interventions are categorized as 'music medicine' when passive listening to pre-recorded music is offered by medical personnel. In contrast, music therapy requires the implementation of a music intervention by a trained music therapist, the presence of a therapeutic process, and the use of personally tailored music experiences. A systematic review was needed to gauge the efficacy of both music therapy and music medicine interventions for reduction of preoperative anxiety.
OBJECTIVES
To examine the effects of music interventions with standard care versus standard care alone on preoperative anxiety in surgical patients.
SEARCH METHODS
We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library 2012, Issue 7), MEDLINE (1950 to August 2012), CINAHL (1980 to August 2012), AMED (1985 to April 2011; we no longer had access to AMED after this date), EMBASE (1980 to August 2012), PsycINFO (1967 to August 2012), LILACS (1982 to August 2012), Science Citation Index (1980 to August 2012), the specialist music therapy research database (March 1 2008; database is no longer functional), CAIRSS for Music (to August 2012), Proquest Digital Dissertations (1980 to August 2012), ClinicalTrials.gov (2000 to August 2012), Current Controlled Trials (1998 to August 2012), and the National Research Register (2000 to September 2007). We handsearched music therapy journals and reference lists, and contacted relevant experts to identify unpublished manuscripts. There was no language restriction.
SELECTION CRITERIA
We included all randomized and quasi-randomized trials that compared music interventions and standard care with standard care alone for reducing preoperative anxiety in surgical patients.
DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Two review authors independently extracted the data and assessed the risk of bias. We contacted authors to obtain missing data where needed. Where possible, results were presented in meta analyses using mean differences and standardized mean differences. Post-test scores were used. In cases of significant baseline differences, we used change scores.
MAIN RESULTS
We included 26 trials (2051 participants). All studies used listening to pre-recorded music. The results suggested that music listening may have a beneficial effect on preoperative anxiety. Specifically, music listening resulted, on average, in an anxiety reduction that was 5.72 units greater (95% CI -7.27 to -4.17, P < 0.00001) than that in the standard care group as measured by the Stait-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-S), and -0.60 standardized units (95% CI -0.90 to -0.31, P < 0.0001) on other anxiety scales. The results also suggested a small effect on heart rate and diastolic blood pressure, but no support was found for reductions in systolic blood pressure, respiratory rate, and skin temperature. Most trials were assessed to be at high risk of bias because of lack of blinding. Blinding of outcome assessors is often impossible in music therapy and music medicine studies that use subjective outcomes, unless in studies in which the music intervention is compared to another treatment intervention. Because of the high risk of bias, these results need to be interpreted with caution.None of the studies included wound healing, infection rate, time to discharge, or patient satisfaction as outcome variables. One large study found that music listening was more effective than the sedative midazolam in reducing preoperative anxiety and equally effective in reducing physiological responses. No adverse effects were identified.
AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
This systematic review indicates that music listening may have a beneficial effect on preoperative anxiety. These findings are consistent with the findings of three other Cochrane systematic reviews on the use of music interventions for anxiety reduction in medical patients. Therefore, we conclude that music interventions may provide a viable alternative to sedatives and anti-anxiety drugs for reducing preoperative anxiety.
Topics: Anxiety; Blood Pressure; Heart Rate; Humans; Music Therapy; Preoperative Care; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Surgical Procedures, Operative
PubMed: 23740695
DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD006908.pub2 -
BMJ Open Sep 2019Preterm birth has major medical, psychological and socioeconomic consequences worldwide. Music therapy (MT) has positive effects on physiological measures of preterm... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
INTRODUCTION
Preterm birth has major medical, psychological and socioeconomic consequences worldwide. Music therapy (MT) has positive effects on physiological measures of preterm infants and maternal anxiety, but rigorous studies including long-term follow-up are missing. Drawing on caregivers' inherent resources, this study emphasises caregiver involvement in MT to promote attuned, developmentally appropriate musical interactions that may be of mutual benefit to infant and parent. This study will determine whether MT, as delivered by a qualified music therapist during neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) hospitalisation and/or in home/municipal settings following discharge, is superior to standard care in improving bonding between primary caregivers and preterm infants, parent well-being and infant development. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: international multicentre, assessor-blind, 2×2 factorial, pragmatic randomised controlled trial; informed by a completed feasibility study. 250 preterm infants and their parents. MT focusing on parental singing specifically tailored to infant responses, will be delivered during NICU and/or during a postdischarge 6-month period. changes in mother-infant bonding at 6-month corrected age (CA), as measured by the Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire. : mother-infant bonding at discharge and at 12-month CA; child development over 24 months; and parental depression, anxiety and stress, and infant rehospitalisation, all over 12 months.
ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION
The Regional Committees for Medical and Health Research Ethics approved the study (2018/994/REK Nord, 03 July 2018). Service users were involved in development of the study and will be involved in implementation and dissemination. Dissemination of findings will apply to local, national and international levels.
TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER
NCT03564184.
Topics: Caregivers; Child Development; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Premature; Infant, Premature, Diseases; Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; Intensive Care, Neonatal; Mother-Child Relations; Music Therapy; Pilot Projects; Single-Blind Method
PubMed: 31481362
DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-025062 -
Neural Plasticity 2019The primary aim of this viewpoint article is to examine recent literature on fetal and neonatal processing of music. In particular, we examine the behavioral,... (Review)
Review
The primary aim of this viewpoint article is to examine recent literature on fetal and neonatal processing of music. In particular, we examine the behavioral, neurophysiological, and neuroimaging literature describing fetal and neonatal music perception and processing to the first days of term equivalent life. Secondly, in light of the recent systematic reviews published on this topic, we discuss the impact of music interventions on the potential neuroplasticity pathways through which the early exposure to music, live or recorded, may impact the fetal, preterm, and full-term infant brain. We conclude with recommendations for music stimuli selection and its role within the framework of early socioemotional development and environmental enrichment.
Topics: Acoustic Stimulation; Auditory Perception; Brain; Child Development; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Premature; Music; Music Therapy; Neuronal Plasticity
PubMed: 31015828
DOI: 10.1155/2019/3972918 -
International Journal of Environmental... Dec 2022Preterm delivery is a stressful event for mothers, posing them at risk for post-traumatic stress reactions. This study examined the degree of depressive symptoms and... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
Preterm delivery is a stressful event for mothers, posing them at risk for post-traumatic stress reactions. This study examined the degree of depressive symptoms and post-traumatic stress in mothers of preterm infants born before 32 gestational weeks depending on whether the infant received music therapy in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) or not. We included 33 mothers of preterm infants enrolled in a previously described prospective randomized controlled trial, of whom 18 received music therapy (mean mothers' age 34.1 ± 4.6 years) and 15 did not (mean mothers' age 29.6 ± 4.2). The degree of depressive symptoms, anxiety and acute stress reactions of these mothers were measured by using the German version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) and Impact of Events Scale-Revised (IES-R) one week after birth (T1) and at infants' hospital discharge (T2). 605 music therapy sessions with a mean duration of 24.2 ± 8.6 min (range 10 to 50 min) were conducted two times a week from the second week of life (T1) until discharge (T2) to the infants from the intervention group. The infants from the control group received standard medical care without music therapy. The mean total CES-D score decreased from T1 (mean 34.7, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 31.1-38.1) until T2 in all mothers (mean 16.3, 95% CI 12.6-20.1). Mothers whose infants received music therapy showed stronger declines of depressive and stress symptoms (with music therapy: CES-D mean difference of total score 25.7, 95% CI 20.0-31.3, IES-R mean difference of total score 1.7, 95% CI 0.9-2.5, IES-R mean difference of subcategory hyperarousal 10.2, 95% CI 6.2-14.3; without music therapy: CES-D mean difference of total score 9.5, 95% CI 3.8-15.3, IES-R mean difference of total score 0.1, 95% CI -1.0-1.2, IES-R mean difference of subcategory hyperarousal 1.6, 95% CI -4.7-7.9). Effect sizes were strong for CES-D, IES-R, and the hyperarousal subcategory, moderate for intrusion, and low for avoidance. These findings show that mothers of preterm infants are highly susceptible to supportive non-medical interventions such as music therapy to reduce psychological symptoms and distress during their infants' NICU stay.
Topics: Female; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Humans; Adult; Infant, Premature; Music Therapy; Prospective Studies; Mothers; Intensive Care Units, Neonatal
PubMed: 36613052
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20010731 -
International Journal of Environmental... Aug 2021Recent research found evidence supporting music therapy for preterm infants to stabilize vital signs and possibly promote neurodevelopment. Even though preterm infants... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
Recent research found evidence supporting music therapy for preterm infants to stabilize vital signs and possibly promote neurodevelopment. Even though preterm infants spend a considerable amount of time sleeping, the effectiveness of music therapy during sleep has not been studied. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of music therapy on preterm infants' vital signs with respect to the state of wakefulness. The first 20 consecutive infants born with <32 weeks' gestational age (GA) from the intervention group of an ongoing randomized controlled trial received live music therapy twice a week until hospital discharge. The heart rate, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, and state of wakefulness were recorded before and after therapy. We observed significantly lower heart and respiratory rates and higher oxygen saturation after live music therapy sessions in general (mean differences -4.9 beats per min; -7.0 breaths per min and +1.5%, respectively). When music therapy was applied during sleep, respiratory rates significantly lowered by 8.8 breaths per min and oxygen saturation increased by 1.6%, whereas in the awake state the vital parameters did not significantly change (heart rate -5.2 beats per min; respiratory rate +0.6 breaths per min and oxygen saturation +1.0%). Music therapy stabilized the respiratory rates and oxygen saturations in sleeping preterm infants.
Topics: Heart Rate; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Premature; Music Therapy; Sleep; Vital Signs
PubMed: 34443994
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18168245 -
Progress in Brain Research 2015Playing a musical instrument is an intense, multisensory, and motor experience that usually commences at an early age and requires the acquisition and maintenance of a... (Review)
Review
Playing a musical instrument is an intense, multisensory, and motor experience that usually commences at an early age and requires the acquisition and maintenance of a range of sensory and motor skills over the course of a musician's lifetime. Thus, musicians offer an excellent human model for studying behavioral-cognitive as well as brain effects of acquiring, practicing, and maintaining these specialized skills. Research has shown that repeatedly practicing the association of motor actions with specific sound and visual patterns (musical notation), while receiving continuous multisensory feedback will strengthen connections between auditory and motor regions (e.g., arcuate fasciculus) as well as multimodal integration regions. Plasticity in this network may explain some of the sensorimotor and cognitive enhancements that have been associated with music training. Furthermore, the plasticity of this system as a result of long term and intense interventions suggest the potential for music making activities (e.g., forms of singing) as an intervention for neurological and developmental disorders to learn and relearn associations between auditory and motor functions such as vocal motor functions.
Topics: Brain; Creativity; Humans; Music; Music Therapy; Nervous System Diseases; Neuronal Plasticity
PubMed: 25725909
DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2014.11.020 -
Journal of Pain and Symptom Management Apr 2016Most cancer patients suffer from both the disease itself and symptoms induced by conventional treatment. Available literature on the clinical effects on cancer patients... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Effects of Acupuncture, Tuina, Tai Chi, Qigong, and Traditional Chinese Medicine Five-Element Music Therapy on Symptom Management and Quality of Life for Cancer Patients: A Meta-Analysis.
CONTEXT
Most cancer patients suffer from both the disease itself and symptoms induced by conventional treatment. Available literature on the clinical effects on cancer patients of acupuncture, Tuina, Tai Chi, Qigong, and Traditional Chinese Medicine Five-Element Music Therapy (TCM-FEMT) reports controversial results.
OBJECTIVES
The primary objective of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the effect of acupuncture, Tuina, Tai Chi, Qigong, and TCM-FEMT on various symptoms and quality of life (QOL) in patients with cancer; risk of bias for the selected trials also was assessed.
METHODS
Studies were identified by searching electronic databases (MEDLINE via both PubMed and Ovid, Cochrane Central, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Scientific Journal Database, China Biology Medicine, and Wanfang Database). All randomized controlled trials (RCTs) using acupuncture, Tuina, Tai Chi, Qigong, or TCM-FEMT published before October 2, 2014, were selected, regardless of whether the article was published in Chinese or English.
RESULTS
We identified 67 RCTs (5465 patients) that met our inclusion criteria to perform this meta-analysis. Analysis results showed that a significant combined effect was observed for QOL change in patients with terminal cancer in favor of acupuncture and Tuina (Cohen's d: 0.21-4.55, P < 0.05), whereas Tai Chi and Qigong had no effect on QOL of breast cancer survivors (P > 0.05). The meta-analysis also demonstrated that acupuncture produced small-to-large effects on adverse symptoms including pain, fatigue, sleep disturbance, and some gastrointestinal discomfort; however, no significant effect was found on the frequency of hot flashes (Cohen's d = -0.02; 95% CI = -1.49 to 1.45; P = 0.97; I(2) = 36%) and mood distress (P > 0.05). Tuina relieved gastrointestinal discomfort. TCM-FEMT lowered depression level. Tai Chi improved vital capacity of breast cancer patients. High risk of bias was present in 74.63% of the selected RCTs. Major sources of risk of bias were lack of blinding, allocation concealment, and incomplete outcome data.
CONCLUSION
Taken together, although there are some clear limitations regarding the body of research reviewed in this study, a tentative conclusion can be reached that acupuncture, Tuina, Tai Chi, Qigong, or TCM-FEMT represent beneficial adjunctive therapies. Future study reporting in this field should be improved regarding both method and content of interventions and research methods.
Topics: Acupuncture Therapy; Disease Management; Humans; Medicine, Chinese Traditional; Music Therapy; Neoplasms; Qigong; Quality of Life; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Tai Ji
PubMed: 26880252
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2015.11.027 -
Trials Nov 2018Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a phase in cognitive decline when it is still possible to intervene to reverse the decline. Cognitive stimulation delivered through... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
Art therapy is associated with sustained improvement in cognitive function in the elderly with mild neurocognitive disorder: findings from a pilot randomized controlled trial for art therapy and music reminiscence activity versus usual care.
BACKGROUND
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a phase in cognitive decline when it is still possible to intervene to reverse the decline. Cognitive stimulation delivered through psychosocial interventions provides both psychological intervention and social stimulation to improve cognition. A pilot open-label parallel-arms randomized controlled trial was undertaken to examine the effects of art therapy (AT) and music reminiscence activity (MRA) compared to the control, on the primary outcome of neurocognitive domain assessments in elderly people with MCI.
METHODS
Community-living elderly people with MCI (Petersen's criteria), assessed for study eligibility, were randomized using a web-based system with equal allocation to two intervention arms: AT (guided viewing of art pieces and production of visual arts) and MRA (listening, and recalling memories related to music) and a control arm (standard care without any intervention). Interventions were led by trained therapists weekly for 3 months, then fortnightly for 6 months. Neurocognitive domains (mean of memory, attention, and visuo-spatial abilities standardized scores), psychological wellbeing (subsyndromal depression and anxiety) and telomere length as a biological marker of cellular ageing, were assessed by intervention-blinded assessors at baseline, 3 months and 9 months.
RESULTS
In total, 250 people were screened and 68 were randomized and included in the analysis. In the AT arm, neurocognitive domains improved compared to the control arm at 3 months (mean difference (d) = 0.40; 90% CI 0.126, 0.679) and were sustained at 9 months (d = 0.31; 90% CI 0.068, 0.548). There was some improvement in depression and anxiety at 3 and 9 months and in telomere length at 9 months, but this was not significant. Similar improvements were observed in the MRA arm over the control arm, but they were not significant. There were no intervention-related adverse effects.
CONCLUSIONS
Art therapy delivered by trained staff as "art as therapy" and "art psychotherapy" may have been the significant contributor to cognitive improvements. The findings support cognitive stimulation for elderly people with cognitive decline and signal the need for larger studies and further investigation of carefully designed psycho-social interventions for this group.
TRIAL REGISTRATION
Clinical Trials.gov, NCT02854085 . Registered on 7 July 2016.
Topics: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Art Therapy; Cognition; Cognitive Dysfunction; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Music Therapy; Neuropsychological Tests; Pilot Projects; Telomere
PubMed: 30413216
DOI: 10.1186/s13063-018-2988-6 -
Annals of Physical and Rehabilitation... Nov 2018Music has the capacity to engage auditory, cognitive, motor, and emotional functions across cortical and subcortical brain regions and is relatively preserved in aging... (Review)
Review
Music has the capacity to engage auditory, cognitive, motor, and emotional functions across cortical and subcortical brain regions and is relatively preserved in aging and dementia. Thus, music is a promising tool in the rehabilitation of aging-related neurological illnesses, such as stroke and Alzheimer disease. As the population ages and the incidence and prevalence of these illnesses rapidly increases, music-based interventions that are enjoyable and effective in the everyday care of the patients are needed. In addition to formal music therapy, musical leisure activities, such as music listening and singing, which patients can do on their own or with a caregiver, are a promising way to support psychological well-being during aging and in neurological rehabilitation. This review article provides an overview of current evidence on the cognitive, emotional, and neural effects of musical leisure activities both during normal aging and in the rehabilitation and care of stroke patients and people with dementia.
Topics: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Aging; Cognition; Emotions; Female; Humans; Leisure Activities; Male; Music; Music Therapy; Neurological Rehabilitation; Quality of Life
PubMed: 28461128
DOI: 10.1016/j.rehab.2017.03.006