Citation

Mollica A, Thaut M, Burke MJ. Can. J. Psychiatry 2021; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, Canadian Psychiatric Association, Publisher SAGE Publications)

DOI

10.1177/07067437211007811

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Regardless of the classification of initial injury severity, traumatic brain injury (TBI) can result in debilitating neurologic and psychiatric symptoms that may last months to years.1 These post-TBI symptoms can vary widely from patient to patient, but core symptoms involve depressed mood and cognitive impairment.1 The underlying pathophysiology of persistent cognitive dysfunction following TBI has yet to be fully understood, but disruptions in large scale neural networks, particularly those governing resting state functional connectivity (e.g., default mode network) and cognitive control (e.g., salience network), are strongly implicated across TBI severities.2 Furthermore, the presence of post-traumatic depression may have bi-directional interactions on prolonging the overall recovery process.3 Given the deficits in multiple domains of functioning following TBI, novel rehabilitation approaches that can target multiple symptoms simultaneously are needed for this complex neuropsychiatric patient population.

Music-based interventions (MBIs) are emerging as a new potential treatment strategy for neurologic4 and psychiatric5 patient populations, as they are safe, economic, and can be creatively tailored to meet specific functional goals. MBIs are typically selected and delivered by a credentialed music therapist based on empirically supported models and can involve active (improvisation, singing, clapping, or dancing) and/or receptive (purposeful music listening to identify emotional content emerging from music) techniques.4,5 Mechanistically, MBIs appear to engage both cortical and subcortical areas governing attention, working memory, planning, and flexibility and can modulate these areas over time...

Language: en

Keywords

traumatic brain injury; concussion; cognitive rehabilitation; music therapy; music-based interventions