On the Neural Mechanisms of Music Therapy in Mental Health Care: Literature Review and Clinical Implications

Legge, Alexander

doi:10.1093/mtp/miv025

Cited by 17 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…For example, performers’ brain activity can reveal processes that might not be consciously accessible for verbal reports or observable in nonverbal behavior, as well as processes that occur on a relatively short timescale (e.g., within bars or sections of a musical piece). On a broader level, advancing knowledge about how musical behavior is implemented at the neural level can inform practices related to music performance, education, and therapy (e.g., Collins, 2013 ; Legge, 2015 ).…”

Section: Neural Correlates Of Self-other Integration and Distinctionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Alpha oscillations related to self-other integration and distinction during live orchestral performance: A naturalistic case study

Christensen

Slavik

Nicol

et al. 2022

Psychology of Music

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Ensemble music performance requires musicians to achieve precise interpersonal coordination while maintaining autonomous control over their own actions. To do so, musicians dynamically shift between integrating other performers’ actions into their own action plans and maintaining a distinction between their own and others’ actions. Research in laboratory settings has shown that this dynamic process of self-other integration and distinction is indexed by sensorimotor alpha oscillations. The purpose of the current descriptive case study was to examine oscillations related to self-other integration and distinction in a naturalistic performance context. We measured alpha activity from four violinists during a concert hall performance of a 60-musician orchestra. We selected a musical piece from the orchestra’s repertoire and, before analyzing alpha activity, performed a score analysis to divide the piece into sections that were expected to strongly promote self-other integration and distinction. In line with previous laboratory findings, performers showed suppressed and enhanced alpha activity during musical sections that promoted self-other integration and distinction, respectively. The current study thus provides preliminary evidence that findings from carefully controlled laboratory experiments generalize to complex real-world performance. Its findings also suggest directions for future research and potential applications of interest to musicians, music educators, and music therapists.

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Section: Neural Correlates Of Self-other Integration and Distinctionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Alpha oscillations related to self-other integration and distinction during live orchestral performance: A naturalistic case study

Christensen

Slavik

Nicol

et al. 2022

Psychology of Music

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“…A recent literature review, 43 which provided a conceptual framework for the neural mechanisms of music therapy in mental health treatment, suggested that there are several key elements of music therapy that lead to beneficial neurobiological changes and thus improvements in mental health difficulties. These elements include establishing participant comfort early in therapeutic process using emotionally positive music, developing trust in participant-therapist relationship, accessing participant emotions through referential music therapy, increasing reminiscence through autobiographically relevant music, inducing music pleasure, changing behavior patterns, and improving social functioning.…”

Section: Potential Mechanism Of Change In Interventionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nonpharmacological Interventions to Improve Depression, Anxiety, and Quality of Life (QoL) in People With Dementia: An Overview of Systematic Reviews

Kishita

Backhouse

Mioshi

2019

J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol

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This overview aimed to systematically synthesize evidence from existing systematic reviews to signpost practitioners to the current evidence base on nonpharmacological interventions to improve depression, anxiety, and quality of life (QoL) in people with dementia and to discuss priorities for future research. The databases MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Scopus, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched in August 2017 with an updated search in January 2019. Fourteen systematic reviews of randomized controlled trials of nonpharmacological interventions were identified. Dementia stage was rated moderate or severe in the majority of the reviews and type of dementia varied. Interventions reported to be effective were cognitive stimulation (QoL: standardized mean difference [SMD] = 0.38), music-based therapeutic interventions (depression: SMD = −0.27, anxiety: SMD = −0.43, QoL: SMD = 0.32), and psychological treatments (mainly cognitive behavior therapy; depression: SMD = −0.22, anxiety: MD = −4.57). Although health-care professionals are recommended to continue using these approaches, future research needs to focus on the type and form of interventions that are most effective for different stages and types of dementia.

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“…). Music therapy can regulate the autonomic nervous system, cardiovascular and stress reaction (Legge ; Solanki et al . ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The healing mechanism of music therapy is to activate neural pathways in the brain to stimulate the pituitary gland to release more endorphins, the effects of which induce pleasure, emotional relaxation, and pain relief (Legge ). Moreover, music therapy can regulate the autonomic nervous system, reduce adrenal corticosteroids and stress‐induced cortisol, and enhance parasympathetic system function as well as reduce respiration rate, heart rate, blood pressure, and anxiety (Legge ; Solanki et al . ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of a music‐creation programme on the anxiety, self‐esteem, and quality of life of people with severe mental illness: A quasi‐experimental design

Chang

Chen

Beckstead

et al. 2017

Int J Mental Health Nurs

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Many studies have shown that music therapy improves patients' symptoms. However, interventions using music creation as their core await further development for patients with severe mental illness (SMI). The current study investigated the effect of a music-creation programme on the anxiety, self-esteem, and quality of life of patients with SMI. A quasi-experimental design using convenience sampling was adopted to recruit patients with SMI from a psychiatric day care centre. Participants were grouped based on their willingness to undergo an intervention (26 patients in the experimental group and 23 patients in the control group). The control groups participated in conventional mental rehabilitation therapy activities. The experimental group participated in a music-creation session for 90 min every week over a 32-week period. The outcome indicators before and after the intervention were assessed using the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), and World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF). Finally, the intervention effect was determined using generalized estimating equations (GEEs). After 32 weeks of intervention activities, the experimental group showed significant improvements in their HAM-A total scores (P < 0.001) and RSES total scores (P = 0.005). Regarding quality of life, the improvements of the experimental group in terms of the psychological (P = 0.016) and social relationship domains (P = 0.033) were superior to those of the control group. Music-creation programmes are recommended for inclusion in the routine rehabilitation activities of patients with SMI.

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On the Neural Mechanisms of Music Therapy in Mental Health Care: Literature Review and Clinical Implications

Cited by 17 publications

References 65 publications

Alpha oscillations related to self-other integration and distinction during live orchestral performance: A naturalistic case study

Alpha oscillations related to self-other integration and distinction during live orchestral performance: A naturalistic case study

Nonpharmacological Interventions to Improve Depression, Anxiety, and Quality of Life (QoL) in People With Dementia: An Overview of Systematic Reviews

Effects of a music‐creation programme on the anxiety, self‐esteem, and quality of life of people with severe mental illness: A quasi‐experimental design

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