Clinical and Neural Predictors of Treatment Response to Music Listening Intervention After Stroke

Journal

Brain Sciences

Year

2021

Abstract

Patients with post-stroke impairments present often significant variation in response to therapeutic interventions. Recent studies have shown that daily music listening can aid post-stroke recovery of language and memory, but reliable predictors of treatment response are unknown. Utilizing data from the music intervention arms of a single-blind randomized controlled trial (RCT) on stroke patients (N = 31), we built regression models to predict the treatment response of a two-month music listening intervention on language skills and verbal memory with baseline demographic, clinical and musical data as well as fMRI data from a music listening task. Clinically, greater improvement in verbal memory and language skills after the music listening intervention were predicted by the severity of the initial deficit and educational level. Neurally, greater baseline fMRI activation during vocal music listening in the left parietal cortical and medial frontal areas predicted greater treatment-induced improvement in language skills and greater baseline engagement of the auditory network during instrumental music listening predicted improvement in both verbal memory and language skills. Our results suggest that clinical, demographic, and neuroimaging data predicts music listening treatment response. This data could be used clinically to target music-based treatments.

Music and Health Institute Terms

Cognitive Abilities; Memory; Music Listening; Observational Measures; Receptive Music Methods; Stroke

Indexed Terms

educational status; language ability; stroke patient; treatment response; auditory network; clinical article; controlled study; demography; EMBASE keywords; functional magnetic resonance imaging; human; neuroimaging; randomized controlled trial; single blind procedure; verbal memory

Study Type

Randomized Controlled; Trial; Quantitative Methods

Document Type

Article

More Info

Share

COinS