An integrated review of music cognition and rhythmic stimuli in sensorimotor neurocognition and neurorehabilitation

• Published in: Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences Vol. 1530; no. 1; pp. 74 - 86
• Main Authors: Emmery, Laura, Hackney, Madeleine E., Kesar, Trisha, McKay, J. Lucas, Rosenberg, Michael C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.12.2023
• Subjects: Acoustic Stimulation - methods; Alzheimer's disease; Auditory Perception - physiology; Biomechanics; Cognition; Cognitive ability; Humans; Interdisciplinary research; Interdisciplinary studies; Movement disorders; Music; Music - psychology; music cognition; music embodiment; Neurodegenerative diseases; Neurological Rehabilitation; Neurology; Parkinson Disease - rehabilitation; Parkinson's disease; psychology of music; Rehabilitation; Rhythm; rhythm and meter; rhythmic entrainment; rhythmic stimuli and gait; Rhythms; sensorimotor neurocognitive studies; Sensorimotor system; Sensory stimulation; music cognition; rhythmic stimuli and gait; sensorimotor neurocognitive studies; psychology of music; rhythmic entrainment; rhythm and meter; music embodiment
• ISSN: 0077-8923; 1749-6632; 1749-6632
• DOI: 10.1111/nyas.15079

This work reviews the growing body of interdisciplinary research on music cognition, using biomechanical, kinesiological, clinical, psychosocial, and sociological methods. The review primarily examines the relationship between temporal elements in music and motor responses under varying contexts, with considerable relevance for clinical rehabilitation. After providing an overview of the terminology and approaches pertinent to theories of rhythm and meter from the musical‐theoretical and cognitive fields, this review focuses on studies on the effects of rhythmic sensory stimulation on gait, rhythmic cues’ effect on the motor system, reactions to rhythmic stimuli attempting to synchronize mobility (i.e., musical embodiment), and the application of rhythm for motor rehabilitation for individuals with Parkinson's disease, stroke, mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer's disease, and other neurodegenerative or neurotraumatic diseases. This work ultimately bridges the gap between the musical‐theoretical and cognitive science fields to facilitate innovative research in which each discipline informs the other. This review of recent research on the growing interdisciplinary area of music cognition examines the relationship between the temporal element in music and the way it affects motor response under varying contexts, ultimately providing relevance for clinical rehabilitation perspectives. One such study illustrates innovative rhythmic movement sequences for the gait modifications that are spatial biomechanical targets for evaluating and treating deficits in cognitive‐motor integration.