MTGIC has conducted research on the efficacy of the neuro music protocols since 2002 and has found them to be extremely effective in working with persons with special needs.  Research has been conducted in the lines of sensorimotor, speech/language, and cognitive issues, with positive results on all fronts.  Colorado State University's Center for Biomedical Research in Music  began the research process two decades previously.  Intense evidence-based research has resulted from the efforts at CSU.

The research has confirmed that a temporally (rhythmically) based auditory event provides an environment that can be utilized for positive therapeutic outcome.  Rhythm is structured and predictable as well as time-ordered, so the brain responds with predictable entrainment patterns.  A simple beat pattern without pitch (metronome) can suffice to activate these levels, or the beat can be surrounded by the other structural elements of music such as pitch, harmony, etc. in an actual musical experience.

Music is first perceived as structure in the brain, with the perception of pitch, harmony, rhythm, melodic contour, intervals, dynamic, etc.  The act of listening to a piece of music awakes auditory and emotional response areas, and in addition creates a motor response.   With motor response, the body is able to rhythmically synthesize its movements. Of particular interest in recent research are the findings that the response to the temporal environment is directed not as much to the actual beat itself as it is to the span of time in between each beat’s occurrence.  This indicates that the motor movement and synchronization of the body is not just occurring at the time of the actual beat, but during the entire duration of the timing pattern.  The end result is that the rhythmic entrainment potentially improves dynamic elements of all movement, not just the movement that coincides with the actual beat.

Music and the temporal structure can evoke consistent response in the body and can therefore be used to intentionally direct therapeutic changes.  Due to major advances in technology, neuroscientists have become aware of a condition in the brain referred to as “plasticity”, which indicates that changes can occur in the structure of the brain based on the experience and training of each individual.  Any process of learning or thinking can assist with brain plasticity.  Musicians are intuitively aware of this process, since it is the essence of practicing an instrument.  When an action is repeated in a temporally based environment, such as practicing a phrase of music on an instrument, the muscles and motor patterns react with learning to make automatic movement.