Ramaswamy Medha, Philip Johann Laji, Priya Vijayan, Priyadarshini Snigdha, Ramasamy Meenakshi, Jeevitha G C, Mathkor Darin Mansor, Haque Shafiul, Dabaghzadeh Fatemeh, Bhattacharya Pratik, Ahmad Faraz
Department of Biotechnology, School of Bio Sciences and Technology (SBST), Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, 632014, India.
Department of Biosciences, School of Bio Sciences and Technology (SBST), Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, 632014, India.
Heliyon. 2024 Aug 8;10(16):e35564. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e35564. eCollection 2024 Aug 30.
Music elicits multifactorial benefits in emotional, social, cognitive, and academic aspects of human life. Music is clinically proven to reduce stress and anxiety, and improve mood and self-expression, particularly after traumatic events. Studies have also demonstrated that music promotes parasympathetic autonomic systems, suppresses hyperactivation of stress responses, and boosts immune functions. However, its ability to promote brain plasticity and signalling are only beginning to be realized. Moreover, its employment as a therapy for the treatment of specific aspects of other neurological disorders, including neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative conditions and their comorbidities, is fast becoming an interesting field of research.
The aim of this review is to summarize some of the recent studies focused on evaluating the applications of music therapy. For this purpose, we have focused on disorders encompassing both temporal extremities of brain developmental stages, from developmental conditions of autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), to ageing-related pathologies of Parkinson's disease and dementias.
The findings of the reviewed studies indicate potent utilities of music-based interventions in beneficially affecting multiple spheres of brain functions, such as sensorimotor, auditory, communication/language, psychological/emotional, behavioural, sleep and memory and cognitive attributes of patients diagnosed with diverse neuropathologies. Nevertheless, lack of standardized protocols for music provision as well as absence of information regarding key aspects, such as cultural and musical orientations of subjects and therapists'/caregivers' attitudes, have hindered the complete realization of music's therapeutic potential for neurological conditions. Further, while some studies have undertaken assessments of core neurophysiological mechanisms underlying music therapy, this information is largely lacking for most clinical studies.
While this is not an exhaustive review of literature, we do hope that it serves as a platform to promote future research for establishing music therapy as a relevant neurotherapeutic strategy.
音乐在人类生活的情感、社交、认知和学术方面带来多方面的益处。临床证明，音乐能减轻压力和焦虑，改善情绪和自我表达，尤其是在经历创伤性事件之后。研究还表明，音乐能促进副交感神经系统，抑制应激反应的过度激活，并增强免疫功能。然而，其促进大脑可塑性和信号传导的能力才刚刚开始被认识到。此外，将其作为治疗其他神经系统疾病特定方面的疗法，包括神经发育和神经退行性疾病及其合并症，正迅速成为一个有趣的研究领域。
本综述的目的是总结一些最近关注评估音乐疗法应用的研究。为此，我们聚焦于涵盖大脑发育阶段两个时间端点的疾病，从自闭症和注意力缺陷多动障碍（ADHD）等发育性疾病，到帕金森病和痴呆症等与衰老相关的病症。
所综述研究的结果表明，基于音乐的干预措施在有益影响大脑功能的多个领域方面具有强大效用，例如感觉运动、听觉、沟通/语言、心理/情感、行为、睡眠以及记忆和认知属性，这些大脑功能涉及被诊断患有各种神经病理学疾病的患者。然而，缺乏提供音乐的标准化方案，以及缺乏关于关键方面的信息，如受试者的文化和音乐取向以及治疗师/护理人员的态度，阻碍了音乐在神经系统疾病治疗潜力的完全实现。此外，虽然一些研究对音乐疗法背后的核心神经生理机制进行了评估，但大多数临床研究在很大程度上缺乏这方面的信息。
虽然这并非对文献的详尽综述，但我们确实希望它能成为一个平台，促进未来的研究，以将音乐疗法确立为一种相关的神经治疗策略。
