Neuroarts in Neurological Care: A Narrative Review and Translational Framework for Music, Visual Arts, Dance, Drama, and Creative Writing

Ignacio Bonasa Alzuria

Abstract

Background: Neurological disorders affect movement, language, cognition, emotion, identity, social participation, and the embodied sense of self. This multidimensional burden has stimulated growing interest in complementary, person-centred strategies that can support neurological rehabilitation and symptom management without replacing evidence-based medical care.

Objective: This narrative review and translational commentary examines the emerging field of neuroarts - the intentional use of artistic and aesthetic experiences to support nervous system function, rehabilitation engagement, emotional regulation, quality of life, and meaning-making in neurological care.

Method: The manuscript synthesizes selected systematic reviews, meta-analyses, Cochrane reviews, clinical rehabilitation literature, and neurobiological research on music, rhythm, visual art, dance, drama, and creative writing. It is not a systematic review; rather, it offers a clinically oriented framework designed to translate current evidence into safer implementation and more rigorous future research.

Results: Evidence is most mature for music-based interventions, particularly rhythmic auditory stimulation in movement disorders and musicbased therapeutic approaches in dementia, stroke, cancer-related symptom burden, and acquired brain injury, although certainty varies by outcome and population. Dance appears promising for Parkinson disease and other rehabilitation contexts through combined motor, cognitive, affective, and social mechanisms. Visual art therapy and creative activities may support emotional expression, stress regulation, fine motor participation, and adaptation after neurological illness, but evidence remains heterogeneous. Drama, theatre-based approaches, and creative writing have particular value for communication, identity, perspective-taking, caregiver connection, and narrative reconstruction, yet require stronger clinical trials and standardized reporting.

Conclusions: Neuroarts should be understood as a complementary, ethically bounded, interdisciplinary and measurable component of neurological care. A mature research agenda must clarify mechanisms, dosage, patient selection, safety, culturally sensitive personalization, and patient-centred outcomes.