title: Effectiveness of music therapy as an aid to neurorestoration of children with severe neurological disorders.
abstract: This study was a two-armed parallel group design aimed at testing real world effectiveness of a music therapy (MT) intervention for children with severe neurological disorders. The control group received only the standard neurorestoration program and the experimental group received an additional MT "Auditory Attention plus Communication protocol" just before the usual occupational and speech therapy. Multivariate Item Response Theory (MIRT) identified a neuropsychological status-latent variable manifested in all children and which exhibited highly significant changes only in the experimental group. Changes in brain plasticity also occurred in the experimental group, as evidenced using a Mismatch Event Related paradigm which revealed significant post intervention positive responses in the latency range between 308 and 400 ms in frontal regions. LORETA EEG source analysis identified prefrontal and midcingulate regions as differentially activated by the MT in the experimental group. Taken together, our results showing improved attention and communication as well as changes in brain plasticity in children with severe neurological impairments, confirm the importance of MT for the rehabilitation of patients across a wide range of dysfunctions.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Neuroinformation, School of Life Sciences, University of Electronic Sciences and Technology of China Chengdu, China ; Centro Internacional de Restauracion Neurologica Habana, Cuba.
authors.forename: Maria L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Bringas
authors.affiliation: Centro Internacional de Restauracion Neurologica Habana, Cuba.
authors.forename: Marilyn
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zaldivar
authors.affiliation: Centro de Neurociencias de Cuba Habana, Cuba.
authors.forename: Pedro A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Rojas
authors.affiliation: Centro Internacional de Restauracion Neurologica Habana, Cuba.
authors.forename: Karelia
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Martinez-Montes
authors.affiliation: Centro Internacional de Restauracion Neurologica Habana, Cuba.
authors.forename: Dora M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Chongo
authors.affiliation: Centro Internacional de Restauracion Neurologica Habana, Cuba.
authors.forename: Maria A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Ortega
authors.affiliation: Centro Internacional de Restauracion Neurologica Habana, Cuba.
authors.forename: Reynaldo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Galvizu
authors.affiliation: Centro Internacional de Restauracion Neurologica Habana, Cuba.
authors.forename: Alba E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Perez
authors.affiliation: Centro Internacional de Restauracion Neurologica Habana, Cuba.
authors.forename: Lilia M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Morales
authors.affiliation: Centro Internacional de Restauracion Neurologica Habana, Cuba.
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Maragoto
authors.affiliation: Centro Internacional de Restauracion Neurologica Habana, Cuba.
authors.forename: Hector
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Vera
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Neuroinformation, School of Life Sciences, University of Electronic Sciences and Technology of China Chengdu, China.
authors.forename: Lidice
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Galan
authors.affiliation: Centro Internacional de Restauracion Neurologica Habana, Cuba ; Centro de Neurociencias de Cuba Habana, Cuba ; Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and Marseille Université Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Mireille
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Besson
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Neuroinformation, School of Life Sciences, University of Electronic Sciences and Technology of China Chengdu, China ; Centro de Neurociencias de Cuba Habana, Cuba.
authors.forename: Pedro A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Valdes-Sosa
keywords: ERPs; children; music therapy; neurological disorders; rehabilitation