Class 2

January 17th, 2024

Neurobiological
Approach to
Music Therapy
Research

2MU3
Introduction to
Music Therapy Research
Annilee Baron MTA, OCT (she/her)
 LEARNING OBJECTIVES

 The main focus of this class is the paper

Thaut, M. & LaGasse, A. B. (2013). The Neurobiological Foundation of Neurologic Music
Therapy. Music and Medicine, 5(4), 228-233. DOI: 10.1177/1943862113502547

• What Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT) is and who it can help

 The 2 NMT techniques that have the strongest body of research behind them:

 Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation

 Melodic Intonation Therapy

 How this research has been translated to music therapy clinical practice
 WHAT IS
NEUROLOGIC MUSIC THERAPY (NMT)?

• Standardized clinical techniques

 3 Main Domains
Sensorimotor, Cognitive, Speech & Language

 Rehabilitation-focused approach
 SENSORIMOTOR

COGNITIVE

SPEECH AND LANGUAGE

 NMT

• Using musical
experiences, the
elements of music
(harmony, rhythm,
melody), or music-based
tasks
• to reach non-musical
goals
 RESEARCH MEASUREMENTS

• Brain Imaging
• Objective data
• Quantitative data (ie. # of steps,
breathing rate, duration of speech)
• Compared to baseline
 WHO CAN TAKE NEUROLOGIC
MUSIC THERAPY TRAINING?

• Music therapists
• Speech and language pathologists
• Occupational therapists
• Recreation therapists
• Physiotherapists

• But only Certified Music Therapists (MTAs) can

use “NMT” (“Neurologic Music Therapist”)
credentials

• 4-day, 30-hour workshop

 RECALL: NEUROLOGIC MUSIC
THERAPY ACADEMY
• Dr. Corene Hurt-Thaut (Certified Music Therapist) &
Dr. Michael Thaut (Tier 1 Researcher)

• over $4 million research funding

• American Music Therapy Association's National Research
Award 1993
• Oxford Handbook was second overall in the British Medical
Association (BMA) 2015 Book Awards for 'Best New Book in
Neurology' (60 entries)
• authored/co-authored about 250 scientific publications in multiple
fields

Master’s in Music and Health; Music and Health Research Collaboratory

(MaHRC)
 BRIAN HARRIS

Founder and CEO of MedRhythms

 COURSEWARE READING THIS WEEK:
THE NEUROBIOLOGICAL FOUNDATION
OF NEUROLOGIC MUSIC THERAPY

Published in “Music and Medicine” Journal

Outlines 5 major areas:

 Music in the Brain
 Rhythmic Entrainment
 Sensorimotor Rehabilitation
 Speech Rehabilitation
 Cognitive Rehabilitation

We will be looking at these areas in greater detail in

this lecture
Main Author: Dr. Michael Thaut
(Founder of the Neurologic Music Therapy Academy)
 WHY IS THIS WORK
IMPORTANT TO
MT RESEARCH?
• EBP

• Provides neurological understanding

• Physiological aspects explained

• Navigating variables

• Real-world applications
• Basic & Applied
 MUSIC & THE BRAIN

 Neuroplasticity (Hebbian Principle)

“The brain that engages in

music,
is changed by
engaging in music”
– Dr. Michael Thaut
 SENSORIMOTOR
REHABILITATION

• Technique: Rythmic Auditory Stimulation (RAS)

• Most researched, evidence-based example of
sensorimotor rehabilitation
• based on the principle of rhythmic entrainment
• Uses “Rhythmic cueing”

 Particularly effective for improving gait

 NMT Technique: Rythmic Auditory Stimulation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbDKHGg9upQ
Intro – the XX
RHYTHMIC ENTRAINMENT

Entrainment:
Synchronization of motor neurons in response to a regular, pulsating
sound (for example: a metronome)
 • Rhythmic entrainment
opened the doors to
shifting from
FROM THE predominantly
READING interpretative models of
music in therapy to
perceptual based
models.
 FROM THE READING

• “Of greatest importance in the context of motor rehabilitation was the

finding that the injured brain can indeed access rhythmic entrainment
mechanisms. ”

Rhythmic entrainment established the first testable motor theory for

the role of auditory rhythm and music in therapy. The subsequent
studies led to the need to codify and standardize rhythmic-musical
application for motor rehabilitation

Theses techniques became the initial foundation of the clinical

repertoire of neurologic music therapy.
 SPEECH REHABILITATION

• Shared brain areas

 Singing

Technique: Melodic Intonation Therapy

MUSIC & SPEECH

Diana Deutsch, Psychologist

 Speech Rehabilitation

Aphasia: damage to the language sections of the brain, which

can result in impaired production or comprehension of written
and spoken words

• Technique: Melodic Intonation Therapy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pACcO_Y-Zc
 SPEECH NMT TECHNIQUES

• MIT

• MUSTIM

• Therapeutic Singing
 COGNITIVE REHABILITATION

• attention control, memory, and executive function

ADDRESSING COGNITIVE
SKILLS
COGNITIVE REHABILITATION
 COGNITIVE
REHABILITATION
 TWO MOST IMPORTANT
TECHNIQUES TO REMEMBER

• Melodic Intonation Therapy

(Speech Rehabilitation)

• Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation

“RAS” (Sensorimotor rehabilitation
– ie. walking)
 REMINDER: QUIZ 1 AVAILABLE ON
AVENUE JANUARY 18 T H - 19 T H

• Quiz 1 on Avenue
(Assessments > Quizzes)
• 15 minutes
• 15 Questions: Multiple Choice / True or False
• Based on weeks 1 & 2

• Available Thursday morning – Friday at 11:59pm