Healthy living
Body matters
Music can help with stroke recovery
Listening to their favourite music in the weeks and months immediately after a stroke may help patients’ recovery, say scientists
Researchers from the University of Helsinki in Finland reached their conclusions, published in the journal Brain, after studying 60 patients for six months following their strokes. Evidence shows that this is the most crucial time in a patient’s recovery because this is when the brain is most able to undergo dramatic changes to restore normal neural connections.
A week after the stroke, participants were randomly allocated to one of three groups: a music group, language group and control group. Over the following two months the patients in the music and language groups listened to music or audio-books respectively while the control set had no listening material. In addition everyone received standard medical care and rehabilitation.
Patients were extensively tested for cognitive skills, mood and overall quality of life one week, three months and six months after the stroke. The team found that those patients in the music group showed greater improvements in speech and concentration than those in the language or control groups. Those who listened to music during recovery also appeared less depressed and confused.
‘These findings demonstrate for the first time that music listening during the early post-stroke stage can enhance cognitive recovery and prevent negative mood,’ say the authors of the study.
Every year about 150,000 people in the UK have a stroke, which occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off. The most common type of stroke is called an ischaemic stroke, this occurs when a clot blocks an artery. The second type of stroke is a haemorrhagic stroke or bleed, when a blood vessel bursts, causing bleeding into the brain. The first signs that someone has had a stroke include numbness or paralysis on one side of the body, slurred speed and confusion.
‘This promising research provides an interesting indication of the positive effects listening to music can have on a stroke survivor’s recovery and the potential for its future use in the rehabilitation process,’ says Dr Isabel Lee, research liaison officer at the Stroke Association. ‘ However further research into the effect of music on stroke patients needs to be undertaken before any widespread use, as presently the mechanisms of any effect remain unclear.’
* The Stroke Association: Helpline: 0845 3033 100 - www.stroke.org.uk
Information on this site is for interest only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. You should consult your own doctor about any specific health concerns.