Listening to music helps stroke patients recover by stimulating their brain and lifting their mood, a study suggests. In the first study of its kind, researchers evaluated how music therapy improved the lives of stroke patients in Cambridge. Stroke is a leading cause of disability in the UK, causing motor skill problems and leaving sufferers struggling to cope mentally among many things. The study found playing the keyboards, drums and percussion instruments, as well as using iPads, lifted patients' general mood and helped them concentrate. The sessions also helped with hand rehabilitation by improving finger dexterity, the researchers found. Repetition was key to helping patients recover. The study was led by Dr Alex Street, of Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), and was carried out on a 26-bed stroke and rehabilitation unit at Addenbrooke's hospital in Cambridge RELATED ARTICLES Previous 1 Next Regularly taking naps of at least 90 minutes in your sixties... Vaping crisis in the US is stopping British smokers from... NHS test used by GPs to detect adults with autism is... MPs call for more measures to protect 60,000 constructions... Share this article Share Strokes, a leading cause of death and disability in the UK, have devastating effects on sufferers long term, rendering many people inept at simple tasks. As well as speech and language problems, sufferers struggle with their memory, visio-perceptual skill and even personality changes among other things. The effects can also have a huge mental impact on patients, feelings of anger, anxiety or depression are common after a stroke. The study was led by Dr Alex Street, of Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), and was carried out on a 26-bed stroke and rehabilitation unit at Addenbrooke's hospital in Cambridge. Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT) sessions were run alongside existing stroke rehabilitation treatment of physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and clinical psychology. A total of 177 patients took part in 675 NMT sessions over two years, according to the findings published in the journal Topics in Stroke Rehabilitation. NMT proved 'helpful' or 'very helpful' on average for 139 patients, relatives and hospital staff. Check out my site ... Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials