Neuroscience of music therapy

We conduct research into the neural basis of music and music therapy in order to better understand how music therapy works. We focus on processes and outcomes of music therapy, and how this relates to how the brain functions.

Back view of two people sitting at a piano, wearing EEG caps

A pair of pianists have their EEG measurements recorded while playing together at the Power of Music event at the Yamaha flagship store in London, April 2024.

Our neuroscientific enquiries into music therapy are related to all our research themes, particularly neurorehabilitation and stroke, mental health, and healthy ageing and dementia.

Our research is influenced by social and affective neuroscience approaches, and we aim to conduct real-world research combined with naturalistic and more controlled experiments into biomarkers indexing and explaining mechanisms of change in process and outcome research.

Music is one of the most fascinating topics in neuroscience as it involves numerous cognitive processes such as attention, perception, memory, action, learning, and imagination, to name but a few. Importantly, emotions play a big role in music as well.

In neuroscience, the social aspects of music – often intertwined with emotions – have recently gained importance. This perspective aligns well with many music therapy approaches.

At the same time, the development of new tools in neuroscience allows now to record brain activity from multiple persons at the same time, a technique called hyperscanning.

Additionally, new tools allow researchers to record brain activity in more realistic and naturalistic settings, and not only in a small laboratory.

At CIMTR, we use these advanced hyperscanning techniques to study music therapy in authentic situations. We are particularly interested in neuro- and biomarkers that index the processes, mechanisms of change, and outcomes of music therapy.

Our overall goal is to contribute to the explanatory value and understanding of the mechanisms of change through our research and to offer a deeper insight into how and why music therapy works.

Fachner, J. and Yap, S. S. (submitted) 'Make the invisible visible – towards process-based outcome research on mechanisms of change in music therapy. In: Raglio, A. (Ed.) (forthcoming) Music and Music Therapy Interventions in Clinical Practice. Cham: Springer.

Maidhof, C., Mueller, V., Agres, K., Lartillot, O., Bloska, J., Asano, R., ... Fachner, J. (2023) 'Intra- and inter-brain coupling and activity dynamics during improvisational music therapy with a person with dementia: an explorative EEG-hyperscanning single case study', Front Psychol, 14. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1155732

Fachner, J., Maidhof, C., Murtagh, D., De Silva, D., Pasqualitto, F., Fernie, P., ... Odell-Miller, H. (2023) 'Music therapy, neural processing, and craving reduction: An RCT protocol for a mixed methods feasibility study in a Community Substance Misuse Treatment Service', Addiction Science and Clinical Practice, 18, 36. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13722-023-00385-y

Fachner, J. (2023) 'Music and the brain – core knowledge integrated into curriculum'. In: Goodman, K. (Ed.) (2023) Developing Issues in World Music Therapy Education and Training: A Plurality of Views. Springfield, IL: CC Thomas, pp. 96-120.

Pasqualitto, F., Panin, F., Maidhof, C., Thompson, N. and Fachner, J. (2023) 'Neuroplastic changes in addiction memory. How music therapy and music-based intervention may reduce craving: a narrative review', Brain Sciences, 13(2), pp. 259. Available at: https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci13020259

Fachner, J. (2022) 'The Shepherd’s Farewell: Shared Hearing as (a Mode of) Healing - Music, Imagery and Emotion-Neural Dynamics'. In: Stock, R., Ochsner, B. and Schillmeier, M. (Eds.) (2022) Hearing, Health and Sound Techniques. Histories, Theories, Practices. London: Routledge.

Fachner, J. (2022) 'Recumbent journeys into sound – Music, imagery, and altering states of consciousness'. In: Kussner, M., Taruffi, L., and Floridou, G. (Eds.) (2022) Music and Mental Imagery: Theory, Research, and Applications. London: Routledge.

Yap, S. S., Ramseyer, F., Fachner, J., Maidhof, C., Tschacher, W. and Tucek, G. (2022) 'Dyadic nonverbal synchrony during pre and post music therapy interventions and its relationship to self-reported therapy readiness', Frontiers of Human Neuroscience. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2022.912729

Tucek, G., Maidhof, C., Vogl, J., Heine, A., Zeppelzauer, M., Steinhoff, N. and Fachner, J. (2022) 'EEG hyperscanning and qualitative analysis of moments of interest in music therapy for stroke rehabilitation – a feasibility study', Brain Sciences, 12(565). Available at: https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12050565

Fachner, J., Maidhof, C., Heine, A., Vogl, J., Steinhoff, N. and Tucek, G. (2021) 'From the lab to the field – EEG hyperscanning and qualitative analysis of moments of interest in music therapy for stroke rehabilitation' ['“Vom Labor ans Krankenbett”: EEG-Hyperscanning und qualitative Analyse bedeutsamer musiktherapeutischer Momente in der Neurorehabilitation – ein Studienprotokoll'], Musiktherapeutsche Umschau, 42(4), pp. 360-375. Available at: https://doi.org/10.13109/muum.2021.42.4.360

Hunt, A. M., Fachner, J., Clark-Vetric, R., Raffad, R., Rupnow-Kidde, C., Maidhof, C. and Dileo, C. (2021) 'Neuronal Effects of Music Entrainment versus Preferred Music in Three Patients with Chronic Pain as Measured via EEG and LORETA Imaging', Frontiers of Psychology. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.588788

Fachner, J. (2020) 'Situationisten, Kairos und Hyper Brains – Moment mal!' Musiktherapeutische Umschau, 41(4), pp. 410-418. Available at: https://doi.org/10.13109/muum.2020.41.4.410

Fachner, J. C., Maidhof, C., Grocke, D., Nygaard Pedersen, I., Trondalen, G., Tucek, G. and Bonde, L. O. (2019) '"Telling me not to worry…" Hyperscanning and Neural Dynamics of Emotion Processing During Guided Imagery and Music', Front Psychol, 10, 1561. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01561

Fachner, J. (2017) 'Music, moments and healing processes: Music therapy'. In: Ashley, R. and Timmers, R. (Eds.) (2017) Routledge Companion to Music Cognition. London: Routledge, pp. 89-100.

Fachner, J. (2016) 'Music therapy and biomarkers of depression treatment', Annals of SBV, 5(2), pp. 36-40.

Fachner, J. and Wosch, T. (2016) 'Neurowissenschaftliche Aspekte der Musiktherapie bei affektiven Störungen und bei Demenz', Jahrbuch der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Musikpsychologie, 26, pp. 1-17.

O'Kelly, J., Fachner, J. and Tervaniemi, M. (Eds.) (2016) 'Dialogues in music therapy and music neuroscience: collaborative understanding driving clinical advances', Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 10.

O'Kelly, J., Fachner, J., Tervaniemi, M. (2016) 'Editorial: Dialogues in music therapy and music neuroscience: collaborative understanding driving clinical advances', Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 10, 585. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2016.00585

Fachner, J., O'Kelly, J., Lee, E. and Faber, S. (2016) 'Music therapy praxeology and the brain – neuroscientific perspectives for studying music therapy effects and processes', Nordic Journal of Music Therapy, 25(S1), pp. 88.

Ridder, H. M. and Fachner, J. (2016) 'Objectivist case study research. Single-subject and small-n research'. In: Wheeler, B. (Ed.) (2016) Music Therapy Research. 3rd edn. New Braunfels, TX: Barcelona Publishers.

Fachner, J. (2016) 'Measuring music and musical responses', In: Wheeler B. (Ed.) (2016) Music Therapy Research. 3rd edn. New Braunfels, TX: Barcelona Publishers.

Fachner, J. (2016) 'The Future of Music Therapy Research in Neuroscience'. In: Dileo, C. (Ed.) (2016) Envisioning the future of music therapy. Philadelphia: Temple University, pp. 133-139.

Ellison, D., Moisseinen, N., Fachner, J. and Brattico, E. (2015) 'Affective versus cognitive responses to musical chords: An ERP and behavioral study', Psychomusicology: Music, Mind, and Brain, 25(4), pp. 423-434. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1037/pmu0000127

Schäfer, T. and Fachner, J. (2014) 'Listening to music reduces eye movements', Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3758/s13414-014-0777-1

Fachner, J. (2014) 'Communicating change – meaningful moments, situated cognition and music therapy – a reply to North (2014)', Psychology of Music, 42(6), pp. 791-799. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/0305735614547665

O'Kelly, J., James, L., Palaniappan, R., Taborin, J., Fachner, J. and Magee, W. L. (2013) 'Neurophysiological and behavioral responses to music therapy in vegetative and minimally conscious states', Front Hum Neurosci, 7. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2013.00884

Fachner, J. and Stegemann, T. (2013) 'Electroencephalography (EEG) and music therapy: On the same wavelength?', Music & Medicine, 5(4), pp. 217-222. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/1943862113495062

Gold, C., Fachner, J. and Erkkilä, J. (2013) 'Validity and reliability of electroencephalographic frontal alpha asymmetry and frontal midline theta as biomarkers for depression', Scand J Psychol, 54(2), pp. 118-126. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/sjop.12022

Fachner, J., Gold, C. and Erkkilä, J. (2013) 'Music therapy modulates fronto-temporal activity in the rest-EEG in depressed clients', Brain Topography, 26(2), pp. 338-354. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10548-012-0254-x

Read more about more neuroscience of music therapy publications.

30 April 2024

NeuroLab team welcomes new Lab Manager

The CIMTR NeuroLab team is happy to welcome Dr Tatiana Izmaylova as our temporary Lab Manager, funded by ARU. Tatiana has a background in linguistics, cognitive science and psychology, and will support us with our lab infrastructure and processes.

17 May 2023

NeuroLab team receive £970k AHRC funding

The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) has funded a bid to increase Creative Research Capacities (CResCa) for the CIMTR NeuroLab team. The equipment includes new EEG devices, fNIRS, eye tracking, motion capture, and VR and AV machinery for a brain research laboratory with integrated music and video recording studio.

Find out more about our £970k AHRC grant