The Impact of Musical Intervention on Cognitive Function: A Scoping Review of Attention, Memory, Visuospatial Ability, and Executive Function

The Impact of Musical Intervention on Cognitive Function: A Scoping Review of Attention, Memory, Visuospatial Ability, and Executive Function | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Systematic Review The Impact of Musical Intervention on Cognitive Function: A Scoping Review of Attention, Memory, Visuospatial Ability, and Executive Function Giriish Purushothaman This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8283976/v3 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 3 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Show more versions Abstract Current literature suggests musical interventions may facilitate enhanced cognition. The present study aimed to analyze this relation, using articles from multiple authors to substantiate this notion. Specifically, this systematic review aimed to support the idea that music has a positive effect in four specific neural domains: attention, memory, visuospatial ability, and executive functions. A comprehensive literature review was conducted in PubMed and Google Scholar up until October 2025. Eligible studies included peer-reviewed articles that investigated the impact of musical intervention on at least one of the specified cognitive domains in human participants of any age. Studies were excluded if they lacked clear methodology, did not report relevant cognitive outcomes, or did not indicate musical intervention. Twenty studies involving over 13,500 participants met the inclusion criteria. One independent reviewer screened and selected studies, and the risk of bias was assessed through a narrative quality appraisal approach. Results were synthesized narratively due to heterogeneity in research methodologies and outcomes. Limitations include methodological heterogeneity and potential publication bias. The findings of this study generally indicate that music enhances cognition, providing promise that music can facilitate cognitive function. However, further research may find it useful to explore the reason for varying changes in cognition by differing musical genres, as it was concluded that some genres (such as rock or fast-paced songs) have a less positively pronounced effect on cognition. No funding was received, the review was not registered, and the author declares no conflict of interest. Cognitive Neuroscience neuroscience music cognition neuroplasticity memory Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 3 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Show more versions Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8283976","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Systematic Review","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":557820761,"identity":"99fabf03-65cd-4d33-b1b8-4245aed4e40d","order_by":0,"name":"Giriish 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