Strokes occur when the blood flow to the brain is blocked. A stroke can kill brain tissue and is one of the world's leading causes of death and permanent disability. Accepted treatment options include medications, surgery, hospital care and rehabilitation, which may soon include music therapy to speed recovery.
A recent study published in the Oxford University Press journal Brain reports that when stroke patients in Finland listened to music for a couple of hours each day, their verbal memory and attention span improved significantly compared to patients who either received no musical stimulation or who listened only to stories read aloud.
These findings support growing research pointing to the benefits of music and music therapy for conditions including autism, schizophrenia and dementia. However, "this is the first time music alone has been shown to have a positive effect on victims of brain injury such as stroke" said the study's lead author Teppo Sarkamo, a psychologist at the Cognitive Brain Research Unit at the University of Helsinki.
The trial, conducted between March 2004 and May 2006, involved 60 patients whose ages averaged just under 60. All had recently experienced a stroke of the middle cerebral artery in the left or right side of the brain, which is the most common type of stroke. Most had problems with movement, as well as cognitive processes such as memory and focusing their attention.
Sarkamo and colleagues started working with the patients as soon as possible after they had been admitted to the hospital. "We thought that it was important to start the listening as soon as possible during the acute post-stroke stage, as the brain can undergo dramatic changes during the first weeks and months of recovery and we know these changes can be enhanced by stimulation from the environment,"Sarkamo said.
