[Methods of music therapy for aphasia, their direct and indirect effects]

Introduction: Music therapists are not yet common members of the professional teams working in the neurology and rehabilitation departments of the country, and music therapy is not a natural part of the treatment programmes in clinical practice. During the past half century, many national and especially international studies have been carried out to demonstrate the results of neurological music therapy. Objective: The present study aims to demonstrate the direct and indirect effects of music therapy for aphasia, thus supporting its relevance and to promote and increase the acceptance of music-based aphasia therapy methods in clinical practice among professionals in the field. Method: For the investigation of the direct effects of music therapy for aphasia, we selected 16 studies from the Hungarian and English language literature based on the criteria we set, which present a total of 9 different methods. Among them, therapeutic intervention is also associated with 7 methods, the quantified results of which have been summarized in a table. Our study also covers the indirect effects of music therapy sessions with people with aphasia. The secondary effects were measured with a self-edited questionnaire. The survey was conducted among the 28 patients we enrolled in individual therapy between 2021 and 2023. Results: The results obtained in this way were recorded in a table. 83% of the subjects of the music-based aphasia therapies showed a significant improvement in some language area at the end of the therapy process, and the questionnaire survey showed that the effects of music therapy were indirectly felt at an emotional level. In addition to the direct effects of music therapy for aphasia reported in the literature, we also measured positive results in terms of collateral effects on the overall mood and motivation of the participants in our study. Conclusion: In the light of the presented results, we conclude that, following the example of Western models, it would be worthwhile to place more emphasis on the integration of alternative therapies into the clinical practice in Hungary. Orv Hetil. 2024; 165(11): 424–432.