The Music, Ageing and Rehabilitation Team

The Music, Ageing and Rehabilitation Team (MART) at University of Helsinki in Finland explores the power of music as a form of perception and expression, pleasure and reward, and motivation and learning, and as a tool to support successful ageing and aid recovery and functioning in ageing-related neurological disorders.

In our research, we use a combination of auditory, cognitive, language and motor tests, questionnaires, neurophysiological measurements, and structural and functional neuroimaging to answer questions such as (i) how neurological disorders (e.g., stroke, aphasia, dementia) affect the ability to perceive, experience, and produce music, (ii) can music-based interventions (e.g., music listening, group singing, music therapy) enhance cognitive, verbal, and motor functioning as well as mood and well-being in neurological disorders, and (iii) which neural and cognitive mechanisms drive the effects of music in the ageing and recovering brain.

We are part of the Cognitive Brain Research Unit (CBRU) and the Centre of Excellence in Music, Mind, Body and Brain (MMBB) at the Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki.