Participation in music therapy will result in improvement in cognitive functioning, as measured by neuropsychological testing 9-12 months following surgery.
Music therapy could have a significant impact on clinical outcomes for patients with epilepsy. One study found that epilepsy patients who received music therapy for six months or greater had a significant reduction in number of seizures and could potentially aid in decreasing medication dosage. The investigators would like to contribute to this sort of research, but focus on what effect music therapy has on a patient's cognitive recovery after undergoing epilepsy surgery. Although research exists regarding music therapy on memory and communication, its overall effect on this patient population is unclear. The Dell Children's Epilepsy program hopes that this research project on memory and communication will have a positive effect on their patients with epilepsy.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
NONE
Will consist of meeting with the music therapists, Certified Child Life Specialists (CCLS), or Child Life Assistants (CLA) for either music therapy for about 45 minutes, twice per week, for Weeks 1-8. The Music Therapy group will partake in interventions such as singing and playing musical instruments. All brain surgery candidates receive a neuropsychological assessment before and after surgery (9-12 months after surgery). In addition, patients who agree to participate in the study will receive cognitive screening and a music therapy evaluation prior to surgery (Baseline 1). These evaluations will also be given within 3 days of epilepsy surgery (Baseline 2), 8 weeks after surgery (Baseline 3), and 9-12 months after surgery (Baseline 4.)
Dell Children's Medical Center of Central Texas
Austin, Texas, United States
Participation in music therapy will result in improvement in neuropsychological scores 12 months following surgery for music therapy study group.
All brain surgery candidates receive a neuropsychological assessment before and after surgery (9-12 months after surgery). This is the standard of care for all brain surgery patients. The results of this assessment and will be used in this research study. In addition, patients who agree to participate in the study will receive cognitive screening and a music therapy evaluation prior to surgery (Baseline 1). These evaluations will also be given within 3 days of epilepsy surgery (Baseline 2), 8 weeks after surgery (Baseline 3), and 9-12 months after surgery (Baseline 4.)
Time frame: 12 months post surgery
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