Music-based interventions for aphasia: A systematic review of clinical approaches and musical components in expressive language rehabilitation

Music-based interventions have been employed in aphasia rehabilitation, modulating components such as rhythm, melody, and prosody to promote language recovery through the engagement of neuroplastic mechanisms. To address the lack of integrative reviews encompassing the full range of clinical applications, we conducted a systematic review of 33 peer-reviewed studies – including randomized controlled trials, pre–post designs, and single-case reports – that quantitatively assessed expressive oral language in patients with aphasia within the context of structured music-based protocols. Specifically, we aimed to comprehensively examine the clinical use of music-based interventions for aphasia, with a focus on the therapeutic role of specific musical components (e.g., melody, rhythm) and their neurofunctional implications for language recovery. Results revealed a range of beneficial interventions, showing improvements both in linguistic behaviour and underlying neural function. This review provides a comprehensive overview of music-based approaches addressed to patients with aphasia, offering a valuable insight into their clinical diversity and therapeutic potential.