Proposing Music-based Interventions for the Treatment of Traumatic Brain Injury Symptoms: Current Evidence and Future Directions

Journal

Canadian Journal of Psychiatry

Year

2021

Abstract

Regardless of the classification of initial injury severity, traumatic brain injury (TBI) can result in debilitating neurologic and psychiatric symptoms that may last months to years. These post-TBI symptoms can vary widely from patient to patient, but core symptoms involve depressed mood and cognitive impairment. The underlying pathophysiology of persistent cognitive dysfunction following TBI has yet to be fully understood, but disruptions in large scale neural networks, particularly those governing resting state functional connectivity (e.g., default mode network) and cognitive control (e.g., salience network), are strongly implicated across TBI severities. Furthermore, the presence of post-traumatic depression may have bi-directional interactions on prolonging the overall recovery process. Given the deficits in multiple domains of functioning following TBI, novel rehabilitation approaches that can target multiple symptoms simultaneously are needed for this complex neuropsychiatric patient population. Music-based interventions (MBIs) are emerging as a new potential treatment strategy for neurologic and psychiatric patient populations, as they are safe, economic, and can be creatively tailored to meet specific functional goals. MBIs are typically selected and delivered by a credentialed music therapist based on empirically supported models and can involve active (improvisation, singing, clapping, or dancing) and/or receptive (purposeful music listening to identify emotional content emerging from music) techniques. Mechanistically, MBIs appear to engage both cortical and subcortical areas governing attention, working memory, planning, and flexibility and can modulate these areas over time.

Music and Health Institute Terms

Traumatic Brain Injury; Mood; Music and Cognition; Music Therapy; Recreative Music Methods; Playing an Instrument

Indexed Terms

music-based interventions; cognitive rehabilitation; traumatic brain injury; Brain Concussion; Brain Injuries, Traumatic; concussion

Study Type

Editorial, Opinions, Position Papers

Document Type

Article

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