Role of Music Therapy in Neurocritical Care for Patients with Acute Brain Injury with Disorders of Consciousness: A Narrative Review and Proposed Framework for Practice.

Kerry Devlin, Junaid Ansari, Rohan Mathur, Vishank Shah, Alexander Pantelyat, Jose I Suarez

Abstract readReview

In one paragraph

Review in Neurocritical care, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it

0cells of the map it votes in

1citing papers in PubMed

–field-weighted citation impact

1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

Music therapy in health care practice: promise, pitfalls, and policy implications.Frontiers in human neuroscience · 2026
Review

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Kerry Devlin *Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. kdevlin5@jh.edu.

Junaid Ansari *Division of Neurosciences Critical Care, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.

Rohan MathurDivision of Neurosciences Critical Care, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.

Vishank ShahDivision of Neurosciences Critical Care, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.

Alexander PantelyatDepartment of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.

Jose I SuarezDivision of Neurosciences Critical Care, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Music therapy (MT) holds promise as a treatment for patients with severe acute brain injury (SABI) with disorders of consciousness (DoC) admitted to critical care units. MT leverages the intrinsic properties of music to engage patients and their families, promoting recovery through neurological, psychological, and physiological mechanisms. Although MT is routinely practiced in intensive care and rehabilitation settings, its applications in a neurocritical care context during acute DoC treatment and recovery are underexplored. Further, the subjective nature of music, music preferences, and the variability in patient responses to music-particularly in patients with SABI and DoC-pose unique challenges for implementing a one-size-fits-all approach. Through our institution's experience with MT and a review of previously published evidence, this article illustrates the application of our MT approach as a noninvasive, holistic, and individualized intervention. A case vignette explores MT in the clinical care of a patient with SABI admitted to the neurocritical care unit across a 9-week period, demonstrating the potential of MT to enhance quality of care and recovery outcomes over time. A family impact statement and emerging practice framework are also included to further elucidate the ways in which MT may enhance quality of care and patient recovery in neurocritical care settings.

Indexed as

Brain InjuriesConsciousness DisordersCritical CareMusic TherapyHumansAcute brain injuriesDisorders of consciousnessMusic therapyNeurocritical careRehabilitation

Identifiers

PMID40770584

DOI10.1007/s12028-025-02332-y

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata

Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.