Music Listening for Mental Health Recovery After Stroke

Summary

This study aims to explore whether listening to music intentionally can support the mental health of people recovering from a stroke. The question the investigators aim to answer is: Can intentional music listening improve emotional well-being in stroke survivors? And if so, what kinds of changes might music listening induce in mental health, thinking and memory (cognition), and brain activity? Participants will be randomly assigned to listen to either music or an audiobook for one hour each day, at home, for four weeks. Participants will also attend four in-person sessions with the researchers: at the start of the study (baseline), just before the listening period begins, after the four weeks are complete, and at a follow-up. During these visits, researchers will gather information about participants' mood and mental health (via questionnaires), assess memory and attention (via cognitive tasks), and use MRI scans to look at brain activity.

Conditions

• Stroke

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Intentional Music Listening

Participants will receive an iPad with Spotify (for music listening) and FaceTime. For 4 weeks (excluding weekends; 20 sessions), participants will listen to music for one hour per session, without multitasking (e.g., no chores or cooking), and will be encouraged to listen attentively. The investigators will collaborate with each participant to co-create a personalized playlist composed of self-selected, culturally relevant songs. This playlist can be updated at any time by the participant, either independently or with assistance from the team. During the music-listening session, participants will be on FaceTime with a team member, who will be available to provide support as needed. A custom Python script will continuously track the songs played by participants through Spotify, logging playback activity for research purposes.

BEHAVIORAL

Audiobook Listening

Participants will be provided with an iPad equipped with a Spotify (for audiobook listening) and FaceTime. For 4 weeks (excluding weekends; 20 sessions), participants will be asked to listen to an audiobook of their choice for one hour per session, without engaging in other activities such as chores or cooking. Participants will be instructed to listen attentively and avoid multitasking during the session. A team member will connect with each participant via FaceTime to offer support. Participants may update or change their audiobook selections at any time, either independently or with help from the team. A custom Python script will be used to continuously track audiobook playback activity for research and analysis.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• New York University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Pablo Ripolles, PhD · New York University

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

50 Years

Max Age

90 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2025-07-01

Primary Completion

2026-09-30

Completion

2026-09-30

Countries

• United States

Study Locations