Moving With Music for Stroke Rehabilitation: A Sonification Feasibility Study

Journal

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences

Year

2015

Abstract

Gross-motor impairments are common after stroke, but efficacious and motivating therapies for these impairments are scarce. We present a novel musical sonification therapy especially designed to retrain gross-motor functions. Four stroke patients were included in a clinical pre-post feasibility study and were trained with our sonification training. Patients' upper-extremity functions and their psychological states were assessed before and after training. The four patients were subdivided into two groups, with both groups receiving 9 days of musical sonification therapy (music group, MG) or a sham sonification training (control group, CG). The only difference between these training protocols was that, in the CG, no sound was played back. During the training the patients initially explored the acoustic effects of their arm movements, and at the end of the training the patients played simple melodies by moving their arms. The two patients in the MG improved in nearly all motor function tests after the training. They also reported in the stroke impact scale, which assesses well-being, memory, thinking, and social participation, to be less impaired by the stroke. The two patients in the CG did benefit less from the movement training. Taken together, musical sonification may be a promising therapy for impairments after stroke.

Music and Health Institute Terms

Cognitive Abilities; Engagement Level; Functional Status; Memory; Mobility; Music and Healing; Sound Healing; Stroke; Wellness and Well-Being ((Outcome))

Indexed Terms

Movement; Stroke Rehabilitation; Elderly; Brain; Cognition; Feasibility Studies; Memory; Motor Skills; neuroplasticity, music-supported therapy; neurorehabilitation; Recovery of Function; Social Behavior; sonification; stroke; Stroke; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Study Type

Quasi-Experimental Study; Quantitative Methods

Document Type

Article

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