Browsing by Subject "aivoverenkiertohäiriöt"

Objectives. Stroke cases are becoming more common due to the aging population. The consequences of stroke are significant and long-lasting both for individuals and for society. Stroke affects the everyday life of the patient by causing depression and deficits in cognitive, language and motor skills. Therefore, it is crucial to begin rehabilitation as soon as possible after the stroke. The wide-scale bilateral brain activation induced by music has recently motivated the use of music in stroke rehabilitation. The purpose of this bachelor’s thesis is to determine whether music listening and producing are effective methods in stroke rehabilitation. Methods. This thesis is a literature review based on the literature searched from PubMed and PsycInfo databases by using the keywords stroke, music, music listening, music therapy, music supported therapy and melodic intonation therapy. Results and conclusions. First of all, music listening improved the recovery of verbal memory and focused attention, and, secondly, reduced depression and confusion. The recovery of cognitive skills and mood induced changes in brain plasticity. Music-supported therapy (MST) combined with physical and occupational therapy improved the recovery of fine and gross motor skills of the hemiparetic upper extremity, therefore increasing the activity of the motor cortex. Music-supported therapy and melodic intonation therapy (MIT) enhanced the communication skills of the patients suffering from non-fluent aphasia. MST combined with speech therapy improved their spontaneous speech, and MIT improved their object naming and daily communication. All in all, music listening and producing seem to be effective rehabilitative methods, but more research is required to utilise music in a clinical setting.