Abstract

Introduction: Neurorehabilitation therapy is crucial to improving functionality in patients with stroke or with such neurodegenerative diseases as dementia. In recent years, music therapy (i.e., the use of music for therapeutic purposes) has been described as an alternative tool that significantly improves motor and cognitive functions in patients with stroke or dementia. However, it has not yet been routinely implemented in clinical practice. Therefore, there is a need to review the current evidence on the positive effects of music therapy in rehabilitation and the changes it causes in the brain, particularly in patients with stroke or dementia. Methods: We conducted a literature review in accordance with the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines, and included studies published between 2010 and 2019 on the PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science databases. Results: A total of 29 articles met the inclusion and exclusion criteria and were included in this literature review. The studies selected confirm that music therapy has a positive impact on such cognitive domains as memory, attention, and language in patients with aphasia due to stroke or dementia. This therapy increases neural connectivity and cortical thickness in frontal, parietal, and temporal regions, and even in the insular cortex. Conclusion: Music therapy causes structural changes in the brain that have a favourable impact on cognition. In patients with stroke, these improvements occur during both acute and chronic stages. In the case of dementia, in contrast, the effects of music therapy are only observed in patients with mild to moderate dementia.