Frontiers | Cognitive enhancement through music therapy: meta-analytic evidence across clinical population

This meta-analysis included 14 studies published from 2010 to 2025 on music therapy and MMSE-based cognitive outcomes in adults.
Music therapy was associated with a significant overall cognitive benefit, with a pooled standardized mean difference of 0.46 (95% CI 0.26 to 0.67).
Passive listening interventions produced the largest improvement, especially when used for more than 3 months (SMD 0.62; 95% CI 0.05 to 1.20).
Studies using non-randomized designs reported larger effects than RCTs.
Studies published after 2019 showed larger effects, which the authors link to larger sample sizes and technological advances.
The article proposes that music therapy may enhance cognition through dopaminergic modulation.
The authors also suggest changes in default mode network connectivity may be involved in the cognitive effects of music therapy.
Music therapy is presented as an accessible, scalable, non-invasive strategy for cognitive enhancement across clinical populations.
The authors call for standardized intervention protocols and more long-term outcome studies.
The review was registered in PROSPERO under CRD420251004837.

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