Impellizzeri Federica, Maggio Maria Grazia, Bonanno Lilla, Thaut Michael, Hurt Corene, Quartarone Angelo, Calabrò Rocco Salvatore
IRCCS Centro Neurolesi Bonino Pulejo, SS 113 C.da Casazza, 98124 Messina, Italy.
Music and Health Science Research Collaboratory, Faculty of Music, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1C5, Canada.
J Clin Med. 2025 May 14;14(10):3436. doi: 10.3390/jcm14103436.
Post-stroke aphasia (PSA) severely limits communication and quality of life. This case study explores the impact of an integrated Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT) approach, combining Melodic Intonation Therapy (MIT) and Therapeutic Singing (TS), on language recovery and brain reorganization in a 59-year-old woman with non-fluent motor aphasia following an ischemic stroke. Over 8 weeks, the patient underwent 24 sessions of MIT alongside standard speech therapy. Language abilities were assessed using the Western Aphasia Battery-Revised, while fMRI scans captured neurophysiological changes pre- and post-intervention. The results showed significant language improvements: spontaneous speech increased by 68.9%, auditory comprehension by 30.8%, and naming by 83.3%. The Aphasia Quotient rose from 39.3 to 61.4, marking a shift from severe to moderate aphasia. Neuroimaging revealed heightened activation in both hemispheres, especially in the superior frontal and parietal regions, supplementary motor area, and superior temporal gyrus. Increased engagement of the limbic system, particularly the paracingulate gyrus, pointed to emotional involvement and widespread cortical reorganization. These findings highlight the effectiveness of integrating MIT and TS with emotionally meaningful music, supporting language recovery and neural plasticity in PSA.
中风后失语症（PSA）严重限制了交流和生活质量。本案例研究探讨了一种综合神经音乐疗法（NMT），即结合旋律语调疗法（MIT）和治疗性歌唱（TS），对一名59岁缺血性中风后非流畅性运动性失语症女性的语言恢复和大脑重组的影响。在8周的时间里，患者在接受标准言语治疗的同时，进行了24次MIT治疗。使用西方失语症量表修订版评估语言能力，同时通过功能磁共振成像（fMRI）扫描捕捉干预前后的神经生理变化。结果显示语言能力有显著改善：自发言语增加了68.9%，听觉理解增加了30.8%，命名增加了83.3%。失语症商数从39.3上升到61.4，标志着从严重失语转变为中度失语。神经影像学显示双侧半球激活增强，尤其是额上回和顶叶区域、辅助运动区和颞上回。边缘系统，特别是扣带旁回的参与增加，表明存在情感参与和广泛的皮质重组。这些发现突出了将MIT和TS与具有情感意义的音乐相结合的有效性，支持了PSA患者语言恢复和神经可塑性。
