Enhancing Attention and Processing Speed Through Home-based Music Rehabilitation Program After Stroke in Malaysia
HMRPAS
2 other identifiers
interventional
44
1 country
1
Brief Summary
Stroke often leads to significant cognitive impairment, impacting quality of life. While existing rehabilitation options exist, there's a need for innovative, accessible, and patient-centered solutions. Research suggests music can engage multiple brain networks associated with sensory and motor processes, cognition, and affective regulation, potentially enhancing cognitive functions like attention and processing speed as well. Home-based interventions have also demonstrated positive impacts on rehabilitation adherence and outcomes. Building on this foundation, this study proposes to develop and pilot test a home-based musical rehabilitation program to improve attention and processing speed in Malaysian stroke survivors.
Trial Health
Trial Health Score
Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach
participants targeted
Target at P50-P75 for not_applicable stroke
Started Sep 2026
1 active site
Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.
Trial Relationships
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Study Timeline
Key milestones and dates
First Submitted
Initial submission to the registry
March 27, 2026
CompletedFirst Posted
Study publicly available on registry
April 13, 2026
CompletedStudy Start
First participant enrolled
September 1, 2026
CompletedPrimary Completion
Last participant's last visit for primary outcome
June 30, 2027
ExpectedStudy Completion
Last participant's last visit for all outcomes
December 31, 2027
August 19, 2026
March 1, 2026
10 months
March 27, 2026
August 16, 2026
Conditions
Keywords
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcomes (4)
Test of Everyday Attention
Test of Everyday Attention (TEA) is designed for adults aged 18 to 80 years. Rather than a single global scale, it evaluates distinct attentional systems through eight separate subtests, yielding individual raw scores, percentiles, and scaled scores converted via age-normed data.
4 months
Trail Making Test (TMT A and B)
Trail Making Tests are tests of speed for attention, sequencing, mental flexibility, visual search, and motor function.
4 months
Digit Span (Forward and Backward)
Forward Digit Span (FDS) assesses short-term, auditory memory, while Backward Digit Span (BDS) tests working memory and central executive processing.
4 months
Stroop Test
The Stroop test assesses a person's ability to inhibit cognitive interference, measure selective attention, and evaluate processing speed. It requires participants to name the ink color of a written word while ignoring the word's actual meaning (such as naming "blue" when the word "red" is printed in blue ink)
4 months
Study Arms (2)
Experimental: Home-Based Music-based Intervention Rehabilitation Program
EXPERIMENTALThe intervention session will last approximately 40 minutes and will comprise: (1) attentional priming for 3-5 minutes; (2) rhythm-action training for approximately 30 minutes; and (3) a brief rest, feedback and session-recording period for approximately 5 minutes. Participants will be prescribed five sessions per week for four consecutive weeks, giving a total of 20 sessions. This dosage is consistent with stroke rehabilitation recommendations promoting intensive, repetitive practice and with intervention durations used in previous music therapy studies and protocols after stroke.
Placebo Comparator: Control group
PLACEBO COMPARATORParticipants in the control and intervention groups will continue to receive the usual multidisciplinary stroke rehabilitation programme as prescribed by their treating rehabilitation team at the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, UMMC. The intervention group will receive the home-based music rehabilitation programme in addition to usual rehabilitation, whereas the control group will receive usual rehabilitation alone. At UMMC, outpatient rehabilitation is typically delivered approximately twice weekly, with sessions lasting about 45 minutes, although frequency and content are individualised according to clinical need. Usual cognitive rehabilitation may include attention, memory and executive function training, communication and language therapy, and functional cognitive activities.
Interventions
The intervention session will last approximately 40 minutes, comprising: (1) 3-5 minutes of attentional priming; (2) approximately 30 minutes of rhythm-action training; and (3) approximately 5 minutes for rest, feedback and session recording. Participants will complete five sessions per week for four consecutive weeks (20 sessions), consistent with recommendations for intensive, repetitive stroke rehabilitation and previous music-based intervention protocols.⁴¹-⁴³ During rhythm-action training, participants will strike corresponding desk bells in response to visual notation and auditory cues at 60 or 90 beats per minute. Responses will be classified as correct when the appropriate bell is struck within the designated beat interval; errors include incorrect, omitted, additional or mistimed strikes. Task difficulty will be reviewed weekly and adjusted by varying tempo, rhythmic complexity, number of tones or cueing. Participants will progress after achieving ≥80% accuracy across two cons
Participants in both groups will continue usual multidisciplinary stroke rehabilitation at the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, UMMC. The intervention group will receive the home-based music rehabilitation programme in addition to usual care, while the control group will receive usual care alone. Outpatient rehabilitation is typically provided twice weekly for approximately 45 minutes per session, with frequency and content individualised according to clinical needs. Cognitive rehabilitation may include attention and memory training, executive function exercises, communication and language therapy, and functional cognitive activities integrated into daily living. Therapy type, frequency and duration will be documented throughout the study.
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if:
- Age \< 75 years
- First-episode stroke within the last 12 months
- Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) of 15- 25, with impairment defined as failure to achieve the prespecified minimum score on the attention-related MoCA items.
- Sufficient cognitive ability to follow multi-step instructions
- Functional use of at least one upper limb to perform musical/rhythmic movements
- Medically stable with the ability to maintain an upright sitting position with good balance
You may not qualify if:
- Uncontrolled psychiatric or behavioural disorders that may interfere with participation
- Uncontrolled seizures or epilepsy
- Significant aphasia or hemispatial neglect
- Severe visual or visual field deficits
Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.
Sponsors & Collaborators
Study Sites (1)
Universiti Malaya Medical Centre
Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur, 50603, Malaysia
Related Links
MeSH Terms
Conditions
Interventions
Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)
Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)
Study Officials
- PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Wen Fen Beh, PhD
Universitiy of Malaya
Central Study Contacts
Study Design
- Study Type
- interventional
- Phase
- not applicable
- Allocation
- RANDOMIZED
- Masking
- QUADRUPLE
- Who Masked
- PARTICIPANT, CARE PROVIDER, INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
- Purpose
- TREATMENT
- Intervention Model
- PARALLEL
- Sponsor Type
- OTHER
- Responsible Party
- SPONSOR
Study Record Dates
First Submitted
March 27, 2026
First Posted
April 13, 2026
Study Start
September 1, 2026
Primary Completion (Estimated)
June 30, 2027
Study Completion (Estimated)
December 31, 2027
Last Updated
August 19, 2026
Record last verified: 2026-03
Data Sharing
- IPD Sharing
- Will not share