Music as Medicine: Why a New Kind of Neuro-Rehab Is Taking Off

Today, that power is finally starting to be better leveraged thanks to the evolution of Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT): the therapeutic application of musical components to address cognitive, sensory and motor dysfunctions. In recent years, NMT has progressed rapidly primarily due to advancements in brain-imaging technologies, which have revealed the brain’s plasticity (its ability to change) and also the different networks in the brain that music can activate. Meanwhile, a growing body of research has emerged showing that NMT can help patients affected by a range of conditions including stroke, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s dementia, traumatic brain injury and Multiple Sclerosis.