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Brain Sciences
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Rethinking the Role of Applied Auditory and Music Neuroscience to...
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Rethinking the Role of Applied Auditory and Music Neuroscience to Neurorehabilitation

A special issue of Brain Sciences (ISSN 2076-3425). This special issue belongs to the section "Sensory and Motor Neuroscience".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2025) | Viewed by 2336

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Michael H. Thaut

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Guest Editor
Faculty of Music, University of Toronto, Edward Johnson Building, 80 Queen's Park, Toronto, ON M5S 2C5, Canada
Interests: the neural and psychophysical basis of music and rhythm perception; clinical application of music and rhythm to motor; speech/language; cognitive training in neurologic disorders
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Marija Pranjić

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Guest Editor Assistant
Division of Developmental Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital & Harvard Medical School, 2 Brookline Place, Brookline, MA 02445, USA
Interests: developmental cognitive neuroscience; auditory neuroscience; neurodevelopmental disorders; motor development; music cognition; music therapy; neurorehabilitation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The scope of auditory- and music-based neuroscience research for brain rehabilitation has evolved rapidly in the past 15–20 years, leading to intervention systems with high impact and accessibility. For a long time, the auditory system was under-researched as a critical sensory system in neurorehabilitation. Breakthrough findings, especially in applications to motor therapies, dramatically changed the research and clinical picture. Medical recognition is growing and expectations of increased basic and clinical research in tandem with widespread dissemination into global brain initiatives are driving the field forward. Therefore, this Special Issue is an extremely relevant undertaking and will serve as a productive platform to motivate new and innovative research in applied auditory neurosciences for global brain health.  

Prof. Dr. Michael H. Thaut
Guest Editor

Dr. Marija Pranjić
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Brain Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • auditory
  • music
  • brain rehabilitation
  • neuroscience
  • motor therapy

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

14 pages, 464 KB  
Article
Does Music Experience Impact the Vascular Endothelial Response to Singing?
by Mehri Bagherimohamadipour, Muhammad Hammad, Alexis Visotcky, Rodney Sparapani and Jacquelyn Kulinski
Brain Sci. 2025, 15(9), 996; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci15090996 - 16 Sep 2025
Viewed by 165
Abstract
Background: Vascular endothelial function is closely related to brain health, especially in individuals with cardiovascular risk factors. In a randomized, crossover clinical trial (NCT04121741), we have previously shown that 30 min of singing improves microvascular endothelial function in older adults with coronary artery [...] Read more.
Background: Vascular endothelial function is closely related to brain health, especially in individuals with cardiovascular risk factors. In a randomized, crossover clinical trial (NCT04121741), we have previously shown that 30 min of singing improves microvascular endothelial function in older adults with coronary artery disease. Here, we report on secondary and exploratory analyses, including (1) changes in cortisol and cytokine levels and their impact on vascular endothelial function, and (2) the impact of personal music experience on vascular function. Methods: Participants had three study visits separated by 2–7 days, according to a randomized, researcher-blinded, crossover, controlled design: (1) a 30-min period of live singing with an in-person music therapist, (2) a 30-min period of singing along to an instructional video and (3) a 30-min rest (control). Primary outcomes included macrovascular endothelial function assessed by brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (BA FMD%) and microvascular function assessed by peripheral arterial tonometry [Framingham reactive hyperemia index (fRHI) and reactive hyperemia index (RHI)]. Exploratory outcomes included (log) changes in salivary cortisol and cytokine (IL-6, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-8) levels. Participants were asked to complete the Brief Music Experience Questionnaire (BMEQ), a 53-item validated self-report questionnaire designed to measure an individual’s overall experience with music. The BMEQ assesses how people perceive, react to, and engage with music in various aspects of their lives. Results: Sixty-five subjects (mean age 67.7 ± 6.6 years, 40% female) completed the study. Compared to those subjects completing the BMEQ (n = 31), there were no significant differences in age, sex, race, or presence of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, high cholesterol, heart failure, chronic kidney disease, or chronic respiratory disease in subjects who did not complete the BMEQ (n = 34). Total BMEQ score did not impact changes in BA FMD% (−3.49 ± 2.00, p = 0.086), changes in fRHI (0.58 ± 0.93, p = 0.535), or changes in RHI (0.73 ± 0.65, p = 0.262). When we decompose the sum of squares based on intervention, sex, race, and age, the BMEQ score does not predict changes in vascular function measures. In cross-over analyses, there were no acute changes in salivary cortisol or cytokine levels with 30 min of singing compared to control. Changes in IL-8 were directly related to changes in microvascular endothelial function (0.470 ± 0.184, p = 0.012 for RHI and 0.780 ± 0.248, p = 0.002 for fRHI). Changes in TNF-α were inversely related to changes in fRHI (−0.547 ± 0.263, p = 0.040). Changes in cortisol concentrations were not related to measures of vascular function. Conclusions: The beneficial changes in microvascular endothelial function are not modified by personal music experience in older subjects with known coronary artery disease. There were no changes in salivary cortisol or cytokine levels after 30 min of singing compared to control. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rethinking the Role of Applied Auditory and Music Neuroscience to Neurorehabilitation)
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