Effect of Rhythmic Auditory Cueing on Aging Gait: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Rhythmic auditory cueing has been widely used in gait rehabilitation over the past decade. The entrainment effect has been suggested to introduce neurophysiological changes, alleviate auditory-motor coupling and reduce cognitive-motor interferences. However, a consensus as to its influence over aging gait is still warranted. A systematic review and meta-analysis was carried out to analyze the effects of rhythmic auditory cueing on spatiotemporal gait parameters among healthy young and elderly participants. This systematic identification of published literature was performed according to PRISMA guidelines, from inception until May 2017, on online databases: Web of science, PEDro, EBSCO, MEDLINE, Cochrane, EMBASE, and PROQUEST. Studies were critically appraised using PEDro scale. Of 2789 records, 34 studies, involving 854 (499 young/355 elderly) participants met our inclusion criteria. The meta-analysis revealed enhancements in spatiotemporal parameters of gait i.e. gait velocity (Hedge’s g: 0.85), stride length (0.61), and cadence (1.1), amongst both age groups. This review, for the first time, evaluates the effects of auditory entrainment on aging gait and discusses its implications under higher and lower information processing constraints. Clinical implications are discussed with respect to applications of auditory entrainment in rehabilitation settings.

Effect of rhythmic auditory cueing on gait in cerebral palsy: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Studies have shown that rhythmic auditory cueing might also be an efficient tool to counteract dual-task-associated information-processing constraints. 121 , 122 For instance, Lohnes and Earhart 104 suggested that rhythmic entrainment might allow alleviation in gait performance by possibly freeing up cognitive resources for dual-task execution. Although dual-task performance has been shown to reduce performance in people with cerebral palsy, 26 we did not identify any study analyzing the effects of rhythmic auditory cueing under higher information-processing constraints.…”

“… 49 Moreover, as a cheap 50 and viable 51 treatment strategy, this approach can provide substantial benefits in developing countries, where prevalence of cerebral palsy due to socioeconomic factors is more prominent. 52 , 53 We identified high-quality systematic reviews analyzing the effects of external auditory cueing on gait performance among healthy, 121 Parkinsonism 54 – 56 , 122 and stroke participants. 57 – 59 However, to the best of our knowledge, no systematic or narrative analysis has been carried out to analyze the effects of auditory entrainment on gait in people with cerebral palsy.…”

Auditory Coding of Reaching Space

“…Thaut et al succeeded in the rhythmic facilitation of gait for Parkinson's disease [35] and stroke patients [36], and also in the rhythmic cuing of reaching movements for stroke patients [37]. Ghai et al reviewed further benefits of auditory cuing for gait impairments caused by aging [38], cerebral palsy [39], and Parkinson's disease [40]. Thaut provided an overview about therapeutic usable effects of music in neuromotor rehabilitation [41].…”

Training proprioception with sound: effects of real‐time auditory feedback on intermodal learning

“…Several of the systematic reviews and meta-analyses have also suggested a similar temporal course for auditory-motor training regimens to allow enhancements in motor performance. [29][30][31][32][33][34] In the present research, we aim to address the limitations of the experimental design used, and also to elucidate the influence of auditory feedback on motor learning. An expanded intermodal auditoryproprioceptive training protocol has been developed to investigate the efficacy of real-time auditory information on proprioceptive motor learning.…”