The Effects of Musical Cues on Motor Learning Using a Robotic Wrist Rehabilitation System - A Healthy Pilot Study

A robotic wrist rehabilitation system consisting of a passive therapy device and rehabilitation gaming suite was developed for upper limb motor rehabilitation. To enhance motor learning, musical cues were integrated into the gaming suite to encourage specific wrist movements. To validate the effects, a pilot study was conducted with abled-bodied participants to compare three conditions - the use of musical cues, the use of tapping beats and a condition with no sound. Participants were asked to complete a 90 second exercise session in which they used the therapy device to control the movements of a virtual pick to catch musical notes depicted on screen. Participants were randomly assigned to one of the three conditions. Participants who received musical cues reacted more quickly to musical notes, hit the positions more accurately, and showed a trend of missing fewer notes as compared to the control. These participants also continued the trend of reducing their miss rate after the musical cues were removed. This suggests that musical cues can be used to assist with motor task learning and retention.