Musical neurostimulation improves cognitive function in children with epilepsy and causes electroencephalogram changes.

Purpose: Cognitive impairments are common in patients with epilepsy. Three musical pieces-Mozart's K. 448 first movement; Johann Sebastian Bach's Harpsichord Concerto No. 1 in D Minor, BWV 1052: I. Allegro; and Johann Christian Bach's Keyboard Concerto in E-flat Major, Op. 7-5: Allegro di Molto-were used as an intervention of musical neurostimulation in patients with epilepsy.

Methods: A total of 34 children with epilepsy (13 boys, 21 girls) were involved. Each patient was randomly assigned to listen to one of the three musical pieces before bedtime every day for 6 months at home. An electroencephalogram (EEG), a neurocognitive test, and a Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory survey were conducted before and after the intervention.

Results: The intervention significantly improved the patients' overall cognitive performance, including their memory, attention, processing speed, verbal fluency, and abstract thinking. However, no significant changes were found in their perceptual reasoning or executive function. In addition, the intervention had a positive effect on quality of life. EEG analysis revealed significantly increased alpha, beta, and gamma band power and significantly decreased theta and delta band power. It also revealed significantly increased EEG features of Hjorth complexity, Hjorth mobility, Higuchi fractal dimension, Lempel-Ziv complexity, Petrosian fractal dimension, and sample entropy and significantly decreased the EEG feature of detrended fluctuation analysis, particularly in the frontal regions.

Conclusions: Listening to Mozart's K. 448, Johann Sebastian Bach's Allegro, and Johann Christian Bach's Allegro di Molto is a promising approach for improving the cognitive function of children with epilepsy.