Researchers at the University of Helsinki previously found that singing can help with the rehabilitation of speech production in post-stroke aphasia. Cerebrovascular accidents, or strokes, are the most common cause of aphasia, a speech disorder of cerebral origin. People with aphasia have a reduced ability to understand or produce speech or written language. An estimated 40% of people who have had a stroke have aphasia. As many as half of them experience aphasia symptoms even a year after the original attack.
The rehabilitative effect of singing has been found to be beneficial in the language recovery of stroke patients. A recent study published in the eNeuro journal has revealed the reason behind this effect.
The study’s findings suggest that singing helps to repair the structural language network in the brain, which processes language and speech. This network is often damaged in patients with aphasia.
“Our findings show, for the first time, that the rehabilitation of aphasia patients through singing is linked to changes in neuroplasticity, or the brain’s plasticity,” explained the researchers.University of Eastern Finland researcher Aleksi Sihvonen conducted a study at the University of Helsinki, which found that singing can enhance language network pathways in the brain. The language network includes the areas of the brain responsible for language and speech processing, as well as the white matter tracts that transmit information between different parts of the brain.
The study revealed that singing can increase the amount of grey matter in the language regions of the left frontal lobe and enhance connectivity in the language network of both the left and right hemispheres. This suggests that singing can have a positive impact on the brain’s ability to process and understand language.
“Patients’ speech production improved with these positive changes,” Sihvonen explains.
A study involving 54 aphasia patients, 28 of whom received MRI scans at the beginning and end of the study, was conducted. The researchers looked into the rehabilitative impact of singing, including choir singing, music therapy, and singing exercises at home.
Singing as an Affordable Treatment
Aphasia has a broad impact on the functional abilities and overall quality of life of affected individuals, often leading to social isolation.
According to Sihvonen, singing is a cost-effective form of treatment.
