Music supported therapy promotes motor plasticity in individuals with chronic stroke

• Published in: Brain imaging and behavior Vol. 10; no. 4; pp. 1289 - 1307
• Main Authors: Ripollés, P., Rojo, N., Grau-Sánchez, J., Amengual, J. L., Càmara, E., Marco-Pallarés, J., Juncadella, M., Vaquero, L., Rubio, F., Duarte, E., Garrido, C., Altenmüller, E., Münte, T. F., Rodríguez-Fornells, A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.12.2016; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Auditory Perception - physiology; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Brain - diagnostic imaging; Brain - physiopathology; Brain Mapping; Brain research; Chronic Disease; Female; Hand - physiopathology; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Medical imaging; Middle Aged; Motor Activity - physiology; Music Therapy; Neural Pathways - diagnostic imaging; Neural Pathways - physiopathology; Neuroimaging; Neuronal Plasticity - physiology; Neuropsychological Tests; Neuropsychology; Neuroradiology; Neurosciences; Original Research; Paresis - diagnostic imaging; Paresis - etiology; Paresis - physiopathology; Paresis - rehabilitation; Psychiatry; Recovery of Function; Rehabilitation; Stroke; Stroke - complications; Stroke - diagnostic imaging; Stroke - physiopathology; Stroke - psychology; Stroke Rehabilitation; Treatment Outcome; Germany; Spain; Music-supported therapy; Functional connectivity; fMRI; Chronic stroke; Plasticity
• ISSN: 1931-7557; 1931-7565
• DOI: 10.1007/s11682-015-9498-x

Novel rehabilitation interventions have improved motor recovery by induction of neural plasticity in individuals with stroke. Of these, Music-supported therapy (MST) is based on music training designed to restore motor deficits. Music training requires multimodal processing, involving the integration and co-operation of visual, motor, auditory, affective and cognitive systems. The main objective of this study was to assess, in a group of 20 individuals suffering from chronic stroke, the motor, cognitive, emotional and neuroplastic effects of MST. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) we observed a clear restitution of both activity and connectivity among auditory-motor regions of the affected hemisphere. Importantly, no differences were observed in this functional network in a healthy control group, ruling out possible confounds such as repeated imaging testing. Moreover, this increase in activity and connectivity between auditory and motor regions was accompanied by a functional improvement of the paretic hand. The present results confirm MST as a viable intervention to improve motor function in chronic stroke individuals.