6th Edition of Neurology World Conference 2026

Abstract

Introduction Scientists continue to explore novel therapies for epilepsy since the current treatment options like medications, epilepsy surgery, neuromodulation and ketogenic diet do not always offer complete seizure control and are associated with side effects. Auditory stimulation and music have been shown to have a variety of effects on EEG and epilepsy in multiple studies; hence we attempted to perform a systematic review to critically appraise and synthesize all related published evidence. Methods We searched the Pubmed database with the terms ‘auditory stimulation’ and ‘epilepsy' and obtained 227 results. We selected clinical trials, observational studies, and abstracts in English on auditory stimulation and music as a therapy for seizures published between 1996 and 2026 and available for review as per PRISMA criteria. Results: A total of 179 patients, aged 0-78 years, from 10 studies were included in the analysis. Intracranial electrodes were used to record seizures in three studies. Compositions of Mozart, especially K448 were used in most studies, but rarely the effects of 40 Hz and 440 Hz tones were analyzed. The duration of therapy ranged from 8 minutes to one year. All studies reported positive effects of music and auditory stimulation on patients with seizures. The average decrease of interictal epileptiform discharges from listening to 40Hz tone was 35.25%, and from listening to Mozart K448 ranged from 28% to 71.6%. The reduction in interictal epileptiform discharges was more pronounced in the frontal lobe and in patients with idiopathic epilepsy without cognitive delay. Four studies analyzed seizure frequency and reported a minimum average seizure reduction of 20.5% and seizure freedom in several patients. One study reported significant improvement in behavior and sleep quality. Please see table 1 for details. Conclusion: Auditory stimulation at 40 Hz and music in genres similar to Mozart should be considered for personalized therapy options for patients with epilepsy. Treatment criteria like parameters of auditory stimulation and musical composition, epilepsy syndromes that benefit from music therapy and the neurophysiology of music-related neuromodulation need further study.