Music-Based Interventions for Cognition and Brain Health: the ARM framework
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Music-based interventions (MBIs) have shown promise in addressing cognitive, motor, and language impairments across neurological and neurodevelopmental conditions. Despite an increasing number of controlled studies that have assessed the potential rehabilitative effects of music, neural mechanisms underlying therapeutic benefits remain poorly understood. Here we present the ARM framework: a neurobiologically-informed model integrating three key systems: Auditory processing networks that encode temporal and spectral features; Reward circuitry activated by musical pleasure and prediction, and Motor systems engaged through auditory-motor coupling and rhythmic entrainment. We examine how specific MBIs leverage these systems to varying degrees and show how understanding these mechanisms is essential for predicting individual treatment response, personalizing interventions, and developing next-generation therapeutic approaches that optimize engagement of specific neural systems.
Language: English
Topic: Music Therapy and Health
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7221150170