Resources & references

This research article explores the effects of a neurologic music therapy technique called rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS) with adults with multiple sclerosis (MS). The results demonstrated that a home-based program using RAS can improve walking velocity, cadence, stride length, and step length.

Learn about Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT), a system of standardized and evidence-based techniques in applied auditory music neuroscience. Neurologic music therapists use music perception and production to help individuals address sensorimotor, speech and language, and cognitive skills among diverse populations.

A list of key NMT publications (research) is available here 

Dr. Jeanette Tamplin is a professor, researcher, and Registered Music Therapist in Australia. She explains how music therapy helps with neurorehabilitation among people with neurologic conditions and injuries.

Click here to watch the video referenced in this interview.

Click here to reference the study by Dr. Jeanette Tamplin referenced in this interview.

This study investigated the behavioural and neurophysiological responses to song, speech and noise in a child with a brain injury and a disorder of consciousness. The child had a greater number of behavioural responses during the song condition, compared to the speech and noise conditions, supporting the use of music therapy in pediatric populations.

Click ici to read a summary of this study.

Research conducted at the University of Melbourne demonstrates that familiar songs can stimulate brain responses that other stimuli cannot in children with severe brain injuries. This article suggests that music therapy can facilitate neurorehabilitation and speed recovery.

Click here to read the study referenced in this article.

This article reviews the use of Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation (RAS) to improve gait and other motor behaviors in Parkinson's Disease (PD). It aims to appraise the current state of knowledge in order to direct further neuroimaging studies about the therapeutic effects of rhythm and music based interventions for motor and non-motor symptoms of PD. 

This mixed-methods pilot study investigated whether nine Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT)® sessions via telehealth would improve motor and attention skills in autistic children. The improvements in motor skills and positive caregiver and therapist views of telehealth indicate that NMT motor interventions administered via telehealth are a promising avenue of therapeutic support for movement skill development in autistic children.

A music therapy group for individual's with Parkinson's disease is hosted on a weekly basis at Drury University. A music therapist and participants share how the sessions improve neurorehabilitation and symptom management through drumming, instrument playing, and singing.  The text includes an audio excerpt embedded in the article.

This feasability study explores the effects of short-term individual music therapy sessions among adults with substance use disorder (SUD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Results show that music therapy can reduce hyperarousal and increase self-regulation, attention, and cognitive functioning in this population.

This research article explains the scientific basis of Neurologic Music Therapy. In this music therapy approach, trained professionals use rhythm and auditory perception to enhance physical, cognitive, speech, and language rehabilitation along clients with various diagnoses such as Parkinson's disease and aphasia.

Modern music therapy, starting around the middle of the twentieth century was primarily conceived to promote emotional well-being and to facilitate social group association and integration. Therefore, it was rooted mostly in social science concepts. More recently, music as therapy began to move decidedly toward perspectives of neuroscience. This has been facilitated by the advent of neuroimaging techniques that help uncover the therapeutic mechanisms for non-musical goals in the brain processes underlying music perception, cognition, and production. In this paper, we focus on executive function (EF) and attentional processes (AP) that are central for cognitive rehabilitation efforts. To this end, we summarize existing behavioral as well as neuroimaging and neurophysiological studies in musicians, non-musicians, and clinical populations. 

Parkinson's disease is a neurological condition that affects movement, among other skills. Kerry Willis, a board certified music therapist, explains how neurologic music therapy enhances neurorehablitation through movement, singing, and instrument playing.