BEIJING, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Music matters, especially for patients with neurological diseases.
In an inpatient ward of the China Rehabilitation Research Center (CRRC), music therapist Zhang Xiaoying was playing and singing the Chinese folk song "Jasmine Flower" to a 53-year-old neurological patient with impaired language function caused by cerebral hemorrhage.
After a while, the patient managed to hum a tune to the rhythm of the song, even though they failed to sing all of the lyrics.
"That's an amazing reaction," said Zhang. The rehabilitation for the patient moved on.
Patients with impaired brain function, such as aphasia, have conditioned language reflexes when hearing familiar music. Music is proven to be able to activate the movements of the brain, said Zhang. Problems in the language center of the left brain make patients lose their speaking ability, but they still can sing if the functions of the right brain are in good condition.
"It's like opening a window for the patients to restore their language function," said Zhang.
Neuroimaging results showed that some changes in brain functions were recorded among certain patients after music therapy, said Wu Xiaoli, a doctor with the CRRC. Some individuals with aphasia caused by stroke could sing broken lyrics and say simple words after several sessions of music therapy.
During the past 10 years, an increasing number of studies have assessed the potential rehabilitative effects of music-based interventions, such as listening to music, singing or playing an instrument, on several neurological diseases. Music-based interventions can affect divergent functions such as motor performance, speech or cognition.
The CRRC established its neurological music therapy center in 2016, with four full-time music therapists. They select suitable songs for the patients according to their age, hometown, profession, level of education and personality.
Zhang has accepted more than 1,700 patients with impaired brain functions, ranging from one to 87 years of age. Most of them suffered from diseases of the central nervous system, such as stroke, brain trauma or injuries of the spine.
About 70 percent of the patients witnessed an improvement in their diseases after being treated with music therapy for one to three months, said Zhang.
Outpatients and inpatients can currently seek music therapy advice at certain locations in the cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Wuxi, Shenzhen and Qinhuangdao.
In 2011, the Chinese Professional Music Therapist Association was established. Ten years on, there are about 200 music therapists nationwide holding certifications from the association.
Music therapy has been gradually accepted among doctors, nurses and psychological consultants, said Gao Tian, director of the association.
There are a total of 16 Chinese universities, including the Central Conservatory of Music, the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and the Minzu University of China, offering four- to five-year music therapy majors.
Students training to become music therapists must complete 10 courses and 1,040 hours of full-time study within two years. Enditem
