The process of recovering from a stroke is different for everyone. Rehabilitation and fully regaining mobility is a process that can take days to years, along with the possibility of lifelong disabilities. Scientific discoveries are trying to make this rehabilitation process easier and faster, finding new ways to increase physical mobility and motor function in both periphery extremities and fine motor skills. Along with regaining movement, the patients can also gain a sense of independence and a better quality of life.
In class, Dr. Vincent Chen described his research on noise electrical simulation and its effect on corticomuscular function in the lower extremities, especially measuring its beneficial impact on grip control and proprioceptive force senses. At a 5% alpha level, they found that at an optimal intensity of stimulation, there were noticeable improvements in several areas. With vibrational stimulation and electrical stimulation, patients who suffered from diabetes or a stroke had reduced postural sway, reduced gait variability, and improved posture. They found increased connectivity between the beta-gamma band and the functional connectivity between the motor cortex and the periphery muscular system, leading to more neural responses and allowing the brain to be "rewired".
Going off this line of thinking, what interested me about this study was the idea behind neuroplasticity: that through adaptive change, healthy parts of the brain can "learn" how to control functions otherwise occupied by damaged areas, like from a stroke. When further researching this, the one area that I came across was music therapy, or neurologic music therapy, which uses beat, music, and rhythm to re-wire the brain and make new corticomuscular connections. Similar to Dr. Chen's research, music therapy also benefits stroke victims: rhythmic entrainment improves hemiparesis by addressing gait patterns through the use of a beat, allowing for an improvement in walking speed. Auditory simulation can help with hand function by preparing the brain to anticipate movement through synchronizing hand movement to certain rhythms. Just as in Dr. Vincent's research, this improves neural connectivity by improving muscle activation patterns. Along with the physical benefits of music, listening to music has been shown to increase dopamine levels and lower cortisol levels, which help combat post-stroke depression and reduce anxiety levels. This psychological care is another way to fight the effects of a stroke.
Both music therapy and noise electrical stimulation utilize the ability to reconnect neural functions to a variety of different areas of the brain. Force control, improving posture, balance, gait, walking patterns, proprioceptive forces, speech patterns, and extremity function (both fine and gross control) all impact both the physical well-being of an individual, but also the psychological aspect. Not only does an individual's independence grow as they gain mobility, but with music therapy, depression and anxiety can also be alleviated. These developing areas both can change the world, one neural connection at a time.
Works Cited:
L. -W. Chou et al., "Effects of Noise Electrical Stimulation on Proprioception, Force Control, and Corticomuscular Functional Connectivity," in IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering, vol. 31, pp. 2518-2524, 2023, doi: 10.1109/TNSRE.2023.3277752. keywords: {Force;Electrical stimulation;Propioception;Electroencephalography;Electromyography;Coherence;Force control;Noise;stochastic resonance;neuromuscular control;EEG-EMG coherence}, (Accessed 2024-10-06)
Thaut, M.H., McIntosh, G.C. Neurologic Music Therapy in Stroke Rehabilitation. Curr Phys Med Rehabil Rep 2, 106–113 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40141-014-0049-y, (accessed 2024-10-06)
Denslow, E. Music therapy for stroke patients: How this powerful modality helps recovery. Flint Rehab. https://www.flintrehab.com/music-therapy-for-stroke-patients/ (accessed 2024-10-06).
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