Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and Music Therapy for Concussion: A Case Report

Effective treatments for mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) are limited and are insufficient to address patient symptoms and recovery. We report a case of an mTBI patient with debilitating visual symptoms who experienced profound symptom relief and increased functional capacity after music therapy (MT) (passive listening to specific music pieces). After other mTBI patients reported similar benefits, we conducted a functional magnetic resonance imaging study using visual paradigms to quantitatively measure the effects of this MT. MT reduced symptoms and increased visual cortex activation in the mTBI case. Our findings suggest that MT could have potential clinical effects for mTBI patients. More research is needed to establish the efficacy of this MT and identify the mechanisms by which this specific type of passive MT could be particularly therapeutic for mTBI patients.