Neurociência da música e ações da musicoterapia nos transtornos mentais: uma revisão sistemática

Abstract

Objective: Investigate the findings in the literature of the potential of music in the human brain as a therapeutic tool for mental and behavioral disorders. Methods: Systematic literature review, structured based on PRISMA recommendations and developed by the Scielo, PubMed, Capes and Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde databases, with the descriptors “musicoterapia” and “transtorno mental”, and their English equivalents. Inclusion criteria were publications in Portuguese or English, free full text, published between 2015 and 2020, excluding those that did not contemplate the research objective, resulting in 11 articles for analysis. Results: Musical interventions have gained increasing prominence in the management of psychopathologies, acting on self-esteem, communication, and well-being. We identified different applications of music therapy as a therapeutic tool with a positive impact, increasing self-perception and individual achievements, as well as a significant effect in reducing anxiety, depression, and negative affect. Brain changes were also identified in conditions such as schizophrenia and Tinnitus, with an increase in functional connectivity in the posterior insula and a structural increase in gray matter, respectively. In addition, music therapy improved the behavioral 2 response of institutionalized elderly people with dementia, and patients with autism spectrum disorder, promoting better interpersonal relationships. Conclusion: Thus, music therapy reveals itself as a potential therapeutic tool in patients with mental disorders, inducing psychophysiological and cognitive-behavioral changes, with effects on brain structures and brain plasticity, in addition to being an effective, non-invasive, low-cost and promising therapeutic resource.