Effectiveness of Musical Training in the Improvement of the Neurocognitive Function and Psychological Well-being of Children Surviving Brain Tumours

Dr Li, William Ho Cheung   (Principal Investigator (PI))

Dr Ho Ka Yan   (Co-Investigator)

Professor Chan Godfrey Chi Fung   (Co-Investigator)

Dr Chung Oi Kwan Joyce   (Co-Investigator)

5

2016-07-01

39000

Effectiveness of Musical Training in the Improvement of the Neurocognitive Function and Psychological Well-being of Children Surviving Brain Tumours

brain tumors, musical training, neurocognitive function, quality of life, self-esteem

Nursing,Paediatrics

N/A

Seed Fund for Basic Research for Resubmission of GRF/ECS Proposals

2016

Completed

Brain tumors are the second most common tumors in children with an annual incidence of 2.3 per 100,000, an average of 31 children develop brain tumor every year in Hong Kong. Despite the improved prognosis, neurocognitive late effects in children surviving brain tumors have been well documented in previous literature. Patterns of neurocognitive late effects include deficits in attention and concentration, working memory, processing speed, and executive function, as well as other domains, severely affecting children’s quality of life. As children surviving brain tumors are living longer, ameliorating deficits in neurocognitive domains has been increasingly recognized as an endeavor of paramount importance. There is some evidence supporting the use of musical training to induce neuroplasticity for stroke patients and children having language deficits. Yet, the effectiveness of using such intervention to remediate or prevent neurocognitive deficits among children surviving brain tumors remain relatively underexplored. This study aims to test the effectiveness of musical training in improving the cognitive functions, self-esteem and quality of life among children surviving brain tumors. A randomized block, two-group pre-test and repeated post-test, between and within subjects design will be conducted. Sixty children surviving germ cell tumors of the brain will be invited to join the study. Participants in the experimental group will receive weekly 45minutes lessons on musical training for 52 weeks. Participants in the placebo control group will receive the same amount of time and attention as the experimental group but not in such a way as to have any specific effect on the outcome measures. The primary outcome measure is the neurocognitive function of participants, which will be assessed using IQ scores. The secondary outcome measures are self-esteem and quality of life. It is anticipated that the findings of this study will determine the effectiveness of the musical training in promoting neurocognitive functions and psychological well-being among children surviving brain tumors. The findings can largely contributed to increase our knowledge on the brain functioning in general and allow delineating the positive impact of playing a musical instrument on brain plasticity. Additionally, musical training can be recommended as a routine rehabilitation strategy for children surviving brain tumors with cognitive impairment. Most importantly, the findings will contribute in promoting healthcare professionals’ accountability and responsibility for taking care of childhood cancer survivors through evidence-based practice.