Music exercises for arm rehabilitation in stroke: an EEG study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The neural mechanisms of music intervention for chronic arm hemiparesis following stroke: A single case series EEG study
IRAS ID
302681
Contact name
Alex Street
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Anglia Ruskin University
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Eight in ten strokes cause some loss of hand movement, impairing activities such as dressing and preparing meals, for which there are few effective treatments. Stroke guidelines recommend highly repetitious and motivating exercises. Research shows that when people with stroke play daily exercises on keyboards and percussion for three to four weeks, changes in the way their brain is functioning take place-specifically in the areas concerned with movement and sound processing, resulting in improved hand use and independence. \n\nThe music intervention used in this study differs to that in previous studies, as movements are performed in synchrony with strongly pulsed music played by a music therapist or from a recording, touchscreen instruments on an iPad are used for finger exercises, which also incorporate a touchscreen stylus requiring grip (finger and opposing thumb) in conjunction with percussion. Exercises are delivered in the participant’s home. Previous studies have been lab-based, using keyboards that do not offer portability for home-based rehabilitation, nor the range of sounds that appeal to broader tastes and cultures. \n\nIn order to understand the effect of the intervention on the brain, we are conducting an electroencephalogram (EEG) study, recruiting five participants who will complete 15 home-based music intervention sessions in three weeks, undergoing lab-based pre- and post-EEG recording. Arm assessments will be conducted in the participants’ home.\n\nThe participants will be recruited after discharge from community stroke rehabilitation from Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust (CCS). Patients will be screened by CCS for eligibility in order to ensure that they can access the exercises and that any treatment related changes in arm function can be detected with the outcome measures.
REC name
London - Queen Square Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/LO/0557
Date of REC Opinion
6 Sep 2022
REC opinion
Unfavourable Opinion