Music therapy for stroke patients

Music therapy for stroke patients
REUTERS

LONDON: A little Beethoven is good for the brain, according to a Finnish study published on Wednesday showing that music helps people recover more quickly from strokes.

And patients who listened to a few hours of music each day soon after a stroke also improved their verbal memory and were in a better mood compared to patients who did not listen to music or used audio books, the experts said. Music therapy has long been used in a range of treatments but the study published in the journal Brain is the first to show the effect in people, they added.

"These findings demonstrate for the first time that music listening during the early post-stroke stage can enhance cognitive recovery and prevent negative mood," the experts, who were led by a psychologist from University of Helsinki, wrote. Strokes are one of the worldwide leading causes of death and permanent disability.