STROKESTRA: aiding physical, emotional and social recovery
It was a shock for everyone, back in 1763, when a young Swedish man, who had suffered brain damage and lost the ability to speak, went to church and found that he was able to sing hymns.
Much later, scientists made some key discoveries: that music can tap into the healthy right side of the brain to stimulate the damaged left side; that it can benefit patients who have suffered from Parkinson’s, cerebral palsy, brain damage and stroke. During World War II, music was used on an unprecedented scale as an aid to soldiers who had returned from fighting with brain damage. And the scientific advances continue to gather pace.
