Background: Research on the effects of music education on cognitive abilities has generated increasing interest across the scientific community. Nonetheless, longitudinal studies investigating the effects of structured music education on cognitive sub-functions are still rare. Prime candidates for investigating a relationship between academic achievement and music education appear to be executive functions such as planning, working memory, and inhibition. Methods: One hundred and forty-seven primary school children, M_age = 6.4 years, SD = 0.65 were followed for 2.5 years. Participants were randomized into four groups: two music intervention groups, one active visual arts group, and a no arts control group. Neuropsychological tests assessed verbal intelligence and executive functions. Additionally, a national pupil monitor provided data on academic performance. Results: Children in the visual arts group perform better on visuospatial memory tasks as compared to the three other conditions. However, the test scores on inhibition, planning and verbal intelligence increased significantly in the two music groups over time as compared to the visual art and no arts controls. Mediation analysis with executive functions and verbal IQ as mediator for academic performance have shown a possible far transfer effect from executive sub-function to academic performance scores. Discussion: The present results indicate a positive influence of long-term music education on cognitive abilities such as inhibition and planning. Of note, following a two-and-a-half year long visual arts program significantly improves scores on a visuospatial memory task. All results combined, this study supports a far transfer effect from music education to academic achievement mediated by executive sub-functions.

Neuroscientific research on music-based activities has grown rapidly, shedding light on the health benefits of music across various domains. However, the molecular mechanisms by which music influences neuroplasticity in humans remain largely unexplored. This review aimed to synthesize and critically appraise existing research on molecular neuroplasticity in humans, with a specific focus on the effects of receptive and active music-based interventions (MBIs) and musical training. Following the PRISMA guidelines, a systematic search was conducted across four databases (MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, and Scopus), for articles published between 2000 and December 2023. From an initial return of 3239 records, 15 studies met the inclusion criteria and were synthesized into three categories of music experiences: (1) receptive MBIs, (2) active MBIs, and (3) musical training. Both active and receptive MBIs were found to enhance neuroplasticity. Specifically, music listening was associated with relaxation and improved immune function, marked by the upregulation of genes related to neuroprotection and synaptic plasticity, while active MBIs consistently enhanced peripheral neurotrophic factors in both healthy and patient populations. Among musicians, neurogenetic alterations linked to music perception and production, neurogenesis, and neurotransmission were identified, with multiple studies highlighting the roles of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), Alpha Synuclein (SNCA), and GATA2 (GATA Binding Protein 2) genes. Collectively, both MBIs and musical training induce neuroplastic changes by modulating neurogenetics, enhancing neurotrophins, altering hormonal levels, and reducing stress in humans. These findings highlight the need for further research to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying music's effects on the human brain, which could have implications for advancing therapeutic interventions for neuropsychological disorders.

Perinatal brain injury occurs in 5.14/1000 live births in England. A significant proportion of these injuries result from hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE) in term infants and intracranial haemorrhage (IVH) or periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) in preterm infants. Standardised care necessitates minimal handling from parents and professionals to reduce the progression of injury. This can potentially increase parental stress through the physical inability to bond with their baby. Recent research highlights the ability of music therapy (MT) to empower parental bonding without handling, through sharing culturally informed personal music with their infant. This review therefore aimed to systematically evaluate the use of MT with infants diagnosed with perinatal brain injury in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Search terms were combined into three categories (audio stimulation (MT), population (neonates) and condition (brain injury), and eight electronic databases were used to identify relevant studies following PRISMA guidelines. Eleven studies using music or vocal stimulation with infants diagnosed with perinatal brain injury were identified and quality assessed using Cochrane ROB2, the ROBINSI Tool and the Newcastle Ottawa Scale. Studies used either voice as live (n = 6) or pre-recorded (n = 3) interventions or pre-recorded instrumental music (n = 2). Studies had two primary areas of focus: developmental outcomes and physiological effects. Results suggested the use of music interventions led to a reduction of infants’ pain scores during procedures and cardiorespiratory events, improved feeding ability (increase oral feeding rate, volume intake and feeds per day) and resulted in larger amygdala volumes than control groups. Additionally, MT intervention on the unit supported long-term hospitalised infants in the acquisition of developmental milestones. Vocal soothing was perceived to be an accessible intervention for parents. However, infants with PVL showed signs of stress in complex interventions, which also potentially resulted in an increase in maternal anxiety in one study. MT with infants diagnosed with perinatal brain injury can have positive effects on infants’ behavioural and neurological parameters and support parental involvement in their infants’ developmental care. Further feasibility studies are required using MT to determine appropriate outcome measures for infants and the support required for parents to allow future comparison in large-scale randomised control trials.

Disciplines can meaningfully enrich paediatric care, particularly for vulnerable populations such as preterm infants, critically ill children and their families.Neurohumanities have been debated and increasingly applied in medicine, with the vital relationship between music sciences, music therapy, and paediatric care remaining underexplored. On the one hand, "[…]neurology attempts to understand the biological basis of our humanity. At the same time, neurological conditions profoundly impact our humanity. The practice of neurology requires a curiosity about the person, the disease, and the ability to listen to and hear stories." - Carandang (2025;online) On the other, neurohumanities re-emphasize the humanistic aspects of medical practice and investigate the importance and influence of perspectives, behaviors, and feelings related to the practice of neurology and medical practise at large. Furthermore, they raise self-awareness and the impact of our perspectives on others and explore the intersection of art and neurology medicine and how neurology positively impacts the world.As our understanding of the young brain expands, creating a shared lexicon that connects music, neuroscience, technological innovations, paediatrics, and healthcare is crucial. By fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, we can deepen our comprehension of the workingmechanisms of music therapy and music medicine for paediatric patients. Sharing insights, approaches, methods and interventions promotes interdisciplinary understanding, enabling the development of more effective, patient-and family-centred healthcare strategies that consider ethical aspects, shared therapeutic goals, care and medical responsibilities. This will lead to a de-disciplined approach, where the expert identifies the boundaries of their discipline, to reach beyond that border towards new frontiers in any given field. This collection aimed to foster dialogue between scientific and artistic disciplines and highlight innovative approaches where neuroscience, clinical medicine, therapy and music intersect to improve (neuro)developmental as well as clinical outcomes and humanise healthcare experiences. By bridging gaps between empirical evidence and clinical practice, the contributing articles offer new lenses through which paediatric healthcare and development can be viewed, supported, and enhanced.Several contributions focus on the early developmental period and the unique needs of neonates and their caregivers. For example, Hugoson et al. present Music Therapy (CMT) in neonatal intensive care units (NICUS), supporting parent-infant bonding and neurodevelopmental trajectories in preterm infants (Haslbeck et al., 2024;van Dokkum et al., 2021, Bos et al., 2021). Their study emphasises that parental singing during kangaroo care, primarily when facilitated by a trained music therapist, strengthens the parents' sense of coherence by promoting experiences of comprehensibility, manageability, and meaningfulness. Interestingly, this is the first study that interviewed singing parents of an intervention group which received CMT and the control group without CMT support. Parents who received CMT reported a deeper understanding of how singing facilitates attachment and enhances self-esteem, reflecting improvements in perceived manageability and comprehensibility. While parents in the control group also expressed joy in singing and noted positive effects on family wellbeing, these experiences were less pronounced, not described as a healing experience and catharsis as in the CMT group and started far later during the NICU trajectory since many parents were not able to raise their voice for singing during the first weeks of their NICU stay. However, particularly during these first weeks, parental anxiety, stress and trauma may evolve and imprint so that therapeutic support, such as CMT, may act as a preventive health intervention for these families as indicated in Kehl et While the improvements on parent child bonding are compelling, there are additional benefits from music interventions on emotional and neurodevelopmental outcomes in preterm infants. Filippa et al. (2024), has tracked infants at 12 and 24 months post intervention revealing enhancements in emotional regulation and neurodevelopmental milestones, underscoring the importance pf early auditory stimulation in at risk-populations.The Euterpe music therapy methodology has been introduced as a structured approach to integrating music therapy in paediatric care (Liuzzi et al., 2024). This methodology includes detailed procedural algorithms designed to standardise and optimise music therapy interventions, ensuring consistency and efficacy in clinical settings.From a broader theoretical perspective, Stige (2012) offers a conceptual framework for "musicking" in healthcare contexts, linking neurobiological mechanisms with psychosocial processes. He advocates for a relational understanding of music as a co-created, embodied activity that transcends traditional therapy models, opening possibilities for its application in paediatric and family-centred care.These articles illuminate the transformative potential of the Medical Neurohumanities in paediatric care. They illustrate how integrating arts-based practices, relational neuroscience, and humanistic inquiry can not only optimise developmental outcomes but also rehumanise healthcare environments that are often dominated by technology and protocols.Innovative research exploring the feasibility of using clinical EEG to recognise music in children, demonstrates the potential for non-invasive monitoring of auditory processing. This approach as is described below, could pave the way for personalised music therapy strategies tailored to individual neural processes.Three critical tensions persist despite the demonstrable clinical promise illustrated across this collection. First, methodological heterogeneity -ranging from the single-centre,...