Can music help a stroke or Parkinson's patient?

The healing power of music has been known for thousands of years. Scientists are currently explaining how auditory stimuli can "reprogram" the brain and showing how, for example, a metronome helps to improve gait stability and prevent injuries. The upcoming event at the ADELI Medical Center in Piešťany will present scientific findings and conclusions as well as the application of clinical techniques in the practice of neurological music therapy (NMT). NMT methods are particularly interesting because they relate to the therapy of common neurological diseases. They can help patients after stroke, head injury, Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease. Neurological music therapy appears to be an effective component of physiotherapy for patients with cerebral palsy, with developmental disorders of various origins, including genetic syndromes, but also depression and autism.

On Saturday, April 5, 2025, Prof. Dr. Michael H. Thaut will give a lecture and practical training at the ADELI Medical Center in Piešťany. The event is aimed at scientists, academics and professionals from clinics and rehabilitation centers, as well as anyone fascinated by the thematic overlap of scientific disciplines.

In the lecture "Advances and New Perspectives in Applied Music Neuroscience and Neurological Music Therapy", Prof. Thaut will present the latest scientific findings on the neuronal and psychophysiological mechanisms of music and rhythm perception. Using example studies, he will explain how sound stimulation can be used to achieve significant progress in the rehabilitation of motor, speech and cognitive functions in patients with neurological disorders.
The course will include space for demonstrations of neurological music therapy interventions for sensorimotor, speech and cognitive rehabilitation. The significance of this type of therapy in the global clinical and research network will also be discussed.

The aim of such events is also to pool experience and share best practice for effective brain health initiatives.

You can register for the event here: https://adelicenter.com/sk/musiktherapie-einfuehrung-in-theorie-und-praxis/

The event will be interpreted from English into Slovakian.

About Prof. Dr. Michael H. Thaut

Prof. Dr. Michael H. Thaut of the University of Toronto has published more than 300 scientific papers on the scientific basis and clinical techniques of NMT. At the Faculty of Music at the University of Toronto, Prof. Thaut directs the Music and Health Research Collaboratory, an interdisciplinary research center that links various institutions and focuses on four main areas of research: Music, basic and clinical neuroscience, and its use in health care. https://mahrc.music.utoronto.ca/

Since 2017, he has held the prestigious position of Canada Research Chair Tier I in the field of music, neuroscience and health. Prof. Thaut is co-founder of the Academy of Neurological Music Therapy. International educational programs https://nmtacademy.co/ are supported by the World Federation of Neurological Rehabilitation (WFNR) and the European Federation of Neurorehabilitation Societies (EFNS).

ADELI Medical Center

The rehabilitation center is focused on the neurorehabilitation treatment of patients with congenital or acquired diseases and injuries of the central nervous system: post-stroke, cerebral palsy, head and spinal cord injuries, genetic syndromes. It uses methods of proprioceptive dynamic correction and ensures an exceptional variety and intensity of the rehabilitation program. The ADELI Medical Center is the only center in Slovakia that also accepts demanding patients in coma vigile, patients with tracheostomy but spontaneous breathing, patients with nasogastric or PEG tubes. Last but not least, the center's individual approach and family atmosphere help patients achieve a better quality of life and the greatest possible degree of independence.

Since 2004, the ADELI Medical Center has offered neurorehabilitation treatments to more than 20,000 patients from 67 countries.