WFRV/HealthWatch: Lifting brain fog with virtual music therapy
University of Cincinnati researchers' pilot study provides do-it-yourself intervention through app
Patients who have been infected with COVID-19 or who have gone through medical treatment like chemotherapy often report brain fog, described as issues with thinking, remembering or focusing.
University of Cincinnati researchers led by Soma Sengupta, MD, PhD, associate professor and Harold C. Schott Endowed Chair of Molecular Therapeutics in the Department of Neurology and a UC Health neuro-oncologist; and Claudia Rebola, PhD, associate dean for research, associate professor and director of the new Center for DAAP Research and Innovation (CDRI) on Health and Wellbeing in the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning, are leading a pilot study examining music therapy's effect on brain fog through a mobile app.
Patients in the study are assigned to groups that either listen to music or actively make their own music through the app.
“These technologies are sort of in a way helping the rewiring and exercising areas of the brain that normally wouldn’t do it,” Sengupta told WFRV's HealthWatch.
Featured photo of ARMCan app in use courtesy of Claudia Rebola, PhD.
Related Stories
Sugar overload killing hearts
November 10, 2025
Two in five people will be told they have diabetes during their lifetime. And people who have diabetes are twice as likely to develop heart disease. One of the deadliest dangers? Diabetic cardiomyopathy. But groundbreaking University of Cincinnati research hopes to stop and even reverse the damage before it’s too late.
Is going nuclear the solution to Ohio’s energy costs?
November 10, 2025
The Ohio Capital Journal recently reported that as energy prices continue to climb, economists are weighing the benefits of going nuclear to curb costs. The publication dove into a Scioto Analysis survey of 18 economists to weigh the pros and cons of nuclear energy. One economist featured was Iryna Topolyan, PhD, professor of economics at the Carl H. Lindner College of Business.
App turns smartwatch into detector of structural heart disease
November 10, 2025
An app that uses an AI model to read a single-lead ECG from a smartwatch can detect structural heart disease, researchers reported at the 2025 Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association. Although the technology requires further validation, researchers said it could help improve the identification of patients with heart failure, valvular conditions and left ventricular hypertrophy before they become symptomatic, which could improve the prognosis for people with these conditions.