Why does music therapy work? In this AMTA-Pro podcast, Dr. Elizabeth Stegemoller talks informally to her music therapy colleagues about the neuroplasticity model of music therapy. She discusses the impact of music on critical dopamine production, about the Hebbian Principle, and about the value of the clear signal of music as opposed to noise. Elizabeth discusses practical application of the principles in the neuroplasticity model as used in music therapy for individuals with Parkinson’s. She talks about music’s role in cortical remapping and building alternative pathways that reroute an individual’s control over their movement. Once the alternative pathways are in place, the music therapist fades the musical stimuli, allowing the individual with Parkinson’s to function more independently. The neuroplasticity model of music therapy needs further research, but gives us some insights into that ever-present question, “Why does music therapy work?”

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Neuroplasticity Model of Music Therapy

Elizabeth Stegemöller, PhD, MT-BC

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“Music is the medicine of the mind.” (John A. Logan) To date, little is known about the neural underpinnings of music and its therapeutic application. As a music therapist, Dr. Elizabeth Stegemöller has witnessed several intriguing experiences where patients with a neurological disorder have overcome a debilitating condition through music. It is these experiences that have motivated her research goals. Dr. Stegemöller earned her bachelor’s degrees in Music Therapy and Biology with a minor in Chemistry from the University of Missouri – Kansas City in 2001. Following her degrees, she worked as a clinical music therapist before returning to graduate school earning her doctoral degree in Neuroscience at Northwestern University in 2010. Following the completion of her graduate degree, Dr. Stegemöller completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Neurology and Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology at the University of Florida. She joined Iowa State University in 2013 as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Kinesiology. Dr. Stegemöller’s main research focus is to understand the neurophysiology associated with the therapeutic effect of music on axial impairments in persons with Parkinson’s disease.  She currently has multiple projects examining the effects of music on speech, swallow, repetitive finger movements, and gait in persons with PD. Dr. Stegemöller has received funding and has over 20 publications in her young career. In addition, Dr. Stegemöller is highly active in the Parkinson’s Action Network advocating for Parkinson’s disease research. Dr. Stegemöller is very passionate about her work and hopes that through her research and advocacy effort, she can contribute to the development of new and innovated therapies that demonstrate effectiveness at targeting PD symptoms often not improved with medication. Her lab website is www.neuromotorlab.com