MUSICAL STRUCTURE FACILITATES VERBAL LEARNING IN MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS

Abstract

THERE IS GROWING EVIDENCE that the temporal patterns in music and rhythm can be a mediating stimulus to enhance cognitive function.We investigated here whether a musical template would influence verbal learning and memory performance in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). The patients were randomly divided into two groups, hearing either a spoken or musical (sung) presentation of Rey's Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AVLT). Patients in the music condition showed significantly better word order memory than patients in the spoken condition. The evidence suggests that music enhances word order memory in patients with MS.We discuss the possible neurobiological underpinning of this result.