Effects of listening to pleasant music on chronic unilateral neglect: a single-subject study

NeuroRehabilitation. 2013;32(1):33-42. doi: 10.3233/NRE-130821.

Abstract

Recent studies suggest that the positive emotion induced by pleasant music may improve cognitive functions. We used the single-subject design to study whether listening to preferred music may reduce unilateral neglect in two participants with post-stroke neglect. These participants were instructed to listen to their preferred music every day for 5 weeks, followed by 2 weeks of follow-up assessment. Outcome measures involved the Star Cancellation Test, the Line Bisection Test, and the visual exploration task. A combination of visual analysis and the two-standard-deviation band method was used for data analysis. Both participants showed significant intervention-related improvements on all outcome measures except the Line Bisection Test, on which one participant showed no improvement. The therapeutic effects were maintained during the follow-up phase. The findings suggest that positive emotion, evoked by preferred music, may be used to ameliorate unilateral neglect. Further research using controlled trials is warranted to validate the findings.

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Cognition / physiology*
  • Emotions / physiology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Music*
  • Perceptual Disorders / etiology
  • Perceptual Disorders / rehabilitation*
  • Stroke / complications
  • Stroke Rehabilitation*
  • Treatment Outcome