People who have suffered a stroke should listen to people singing—it will improve their recovery and help them regain the ability to talk.
Vocal music helps the stroke patient recover from aphasia, a common and upsetting consequence of a stroke when the area of the brain responsible for language and speech is damaged.
Therapies to counter aphasia have been hit-and-miss, and the resources for longterm support aren’t available.
But getting the stroke victim to listen to singing every day is an inexpensive therapy that can work, say researchers from the University of Helsinki.
They tested three approaches—listening to vocal music, instrumental music and audiobooks—on a group of stroke patients, and monitored any structural changes in the brain. The instrumental music and the audiobooks had little positive impact on language abilities, but listening to vocal music stimulated the brain and helped restore the network in the brain’s left frontal lobe responsible for language within three months.
Listening to singing could be introduced soon after the stroke has happened. Stroke victims get little or no stimulation, especially if they have to spend weeks in hospital, and the brain needs stimulation to start rebuilding areas that have been damaged.
(Source: Eneuro, 2021; 8: ENEURO.0158-21.2021; doi: 10.1523/ENEURO.0158-21.2021)
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