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Amusia and cognitive deficits after stroke: is there a relationship?

Teppo Särkämö1, Mari Tervaniemi, Seppo Soinila

  • 1Cognitive Brain Research Unit, Department of Psychology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
|August 14, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Stroke patients with musical deficits (amusic) showed worse cognitive function, particularly in working memory and executive functions. Amusia severity correlated with attention deficits after stroke.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Neurology

Background:

  • Musical deficits, known as amusia, can occur after brain injury.
  • The relationship between amusia and broader cognitive impairments following stroke is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between musical deficits and cognitive impairments in patients who have experienced a middle cerebral artery (MCA) stroke.
  • To determine if the severity of amusia correlates with specific cognitive deficits.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 53 middle cerebral artery (MCA) stroke patients was assessed.
  • A shortened version of the Montreal Battery of Evaluation of Amusia (MBEA) was used to identify amusia.
  • An extensive neuropsychological test battery was administered to evaluate cognitive functions.

Main Results:

  • 32 patients were identified as amusic, while 21 were non-amusic.
  • Amusic patients exhibited more severe deficits in working memory and executive functioning compared to non-amusic patients.
  • The degree of amusia severity was found to correlate with deficits in attention.

Conclusions:

  • Domain-general cognitive processes, including attention, executive functions, and working memory, are linked to amusia in stroke survivors.
  • These findings suggest shared neural underpinnings or overlapping cognitive networks for musical processing and general cognition after stroke.

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