FNIH and Leading Advocates Launch Music as Medicine Neuroscience Initiative
The Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) has announced the launch of the Music as Medicine Neuroscience Research Initiative, a new program designed to accelerate scientific research into the therapeutic potential of music for neurological and mental health conditions. Developed in collaboration with the Renée Fleming Foundation, Mickey Hart of the Grateful Dead, and Jim Weiss, founder of Real Chemistry and a member of the FNIH Board of Directors, the initiative aims to support innovative researchers exploring how music influences the brain and contributes to improved health outcomes.
As part of the inaugural program, FNIH will award research grants of $100,000 each to outstanding scientists investigating the relationship between neuroscience and music. The funding is intended to encourage groundbreaking research into music-based therapies that could benefit individuals living with conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, depression, and other neurological or psychiatric disorders.
The initiative reflects growing scientific interest in understanding how music affects brain function and how evidence-based music interventions may become an important complement to traditional medical treatments.
Exploring the Science Behind Music and Brain Health
For centuries, music has been recognized for its ability to evoke emotions, influence mood, and strengthen social connections. More recently, advances in neuroscience have begun to demonstrate that music may also produce measurable biological effects within the brain.
Researchers have observed that music can stimulate multiple brain regions simultaneously, influencing neural networks involved in memory, movement, emotion, language, and cognition. These findings have generated increasing interest in determining whether music can be developed into scientifically validated therapeutic interventions for neurological disorders.
The newly launched Music as Medicine Neuroscience Research Initiative seeks to deepen that understanding by supporting research that examines both the biological mechanisms underlying music’s effects and the practical application of music-based therapies in healthcare.
Supporting Innovative Scientific Research
The initiative will provide financial support to researchers whose work addresses critical questions at the intersection of neuroscience, psychology, music, and medicine.
The grants will fund projects across three primary research areas.
Understanding Biological and Neurological Mechanisms
The first research priority focuses on basic scientific investigation into how music influences human biology and brain function.
Scientists are encouraged to explore the neurological pathways, molecular processes, and physiological mechanisms through which music affects cognition, emotion, and overall well-being.
This foundational research may help explain why music appears to produce therapeutic benefits in certain neurological and psychiatric conditions.
Advancing Clinical Applications
A second area of focus centers on clinical research evaluating music-based interventions.
Supported studies may investigate how music therapies can be designed, tested, optimized, or personalized to improve:
- Cognitive function
- Mental health
- Physical rehabilitation
- Emotional well-being
- Quality of life
Researchers may also examine how different musical approaches influence patient outcomes across diverse clinical populations.
Expanding Access to Music-Based Care
The third research priority emphasizes implementation science.
Projects in this area will evaluate strategies for integrating music-based interventions into healthcare systems and community settings while improving accessibility and scalability.
By understanding how evidence-based music therapies can be delivered more effectively, investigators hope to expand their use beyond specialized research environments into routine clinical practice.
Potential Benefits Across Multiple Neurological Disorders
The initiative specifically highlights the potential application of music-based therapies for individuals living with several challenging neurological and mental health conditions.
These include:
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Parkinson’s disease
- Stroke
- Depression
Previous research has suggested that music may support memory recall in individuals with dementia, improve gait and movement in Parkinson’s disease, assist rehabilitation following stroke, and help reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Although encouraging findings have emerged, researchers emphasize that additional high-quality scientific studies are needed to better understand the mechanisms responsible for these effects and to establish standardized therapeutic approaches.
The new FNIH grants are intended to accelerate that research.
FNIH Highlights Therapeutic Potential of Music
Commenting on the launch of the initiative, Julie Gerberding, MD, MPH, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, emphasized the unique emotional and psychological influence that music, rhythm, and movement have on individuals.
She noted that the new research program aims to strengthen scientific understanding of how music and music therapy affect the brain and how those insights can ultimately improve patient care.
According to Dr. Gerberding, expanding knowledge in this area may lead to new therapeutic strategies capable of enhancing health and well-being across a broad range of neurological conditions.
Building the Next Generation of Interdisciplinary Researchers
The initiative also seeks to foster collaboration among scientists working across traditionally separate disciplines.
Modern neuroscience increasingly recognizes that understanding complex human behaviors often requires expertise from multiple fields, including psychology, neurology, rehabilitation medicine, music, engineering, and data science.
By encouraging interdisciplinary research, the Music as Medicine initiative hopes to stimulate innovative approaches that might not emerge within conventional research frameworks.
Assal Habibi, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Southern California and Chair of the Music as Medicine Scientific Selection Committee, noted that growing scientific evidence continues to demonstrate music’s ability to improve the lives of individuals living with Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and other disorders affecting memory, movement, and emotional health.
She explained that the grant program will support a new generation of researchers working at the intersection of neuroscience, medicine, and music while helping advance this rapidly evolving scientific field.
Collaboration Among Science, Medicine and the Arts
The initiative represents a unique collaboration bringing together leaders from scientific research, medicine, philanthropy, and the arts.
It was established through partnerships involving:
- The Foundation for the National Institutes of Health
- The Renée Fleming Foundation
- Renée Fleming
- Mickey Hart
- Jim Weiss
- Paul Sekhri
Renée Fleming, internationally acclaimed soprano and longtime advocate for arts and health research, has played a significant role in promoting scientific investigation into the therapeutic value of music.
Mickey Hart, best known as drummer for the Grateful Dead, has also been actively involved in exploring the relationship between rhythm, neuroscience, and healing.
Jim Weiss, founder of healthcare communications company Real Chemistry and member of the FNIH Board of Directors, has likewise contributed to advancing research at the intersection of health and innovation.
Additional philanthropic support for the initiative has been provided by biotech executive and investor Paul Sekhri.
Building on the Sound Health Legacy
The Music as Medicine Neuroscience Research Initiative expands upon earlier work conducted through the Sound Health partnership.
That collaborative effort brought together several prominent organizations, including:
- National Institutes of Health (NIH)
- National Endowment for the Arts
- John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
- Renée Fleming Foundation
- Foundation for the National Institutes of Health
The Sound Health initiative helped establish growing scientific interest in understanding the biological effects of music and other arts-based interventions.
The new program continues that momentum by providing direct research funding to investigators developing the next generation of evidence-based music therapies.
Expanding FNIH’s Neuroscience Portfolio
The Music as Medicine initiative becomes the newest component of the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health’s expanding neuroscience research portfolio.
FNIH currently supports numerous collaborative research programs addressing major neurological diseases, including:
- The Deeda Blair Research Initiative for Disorders of the Brain
- Accelerating Medicines Partnership® programs for Alzheimer’s disease
- Parkinson’s disease research initiatives
- Schizophrenia research collaborations
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) research
- Biomarkers Consortium projects focused on Alzheimer’s disease
- Frontotemporal degeneration research
- An upcoming initiative focused on major depressive disorder
Together, these programs seek to accelerate scientific discovery while fostering collaboration among academic researchers, government agencies, industry, and nonprofit organizations.
Application Process Now Open
FNIH has officially opened nominations for the inaugural Music as Medicine Neuroscience Research Initiative.
Applications will be accepted through Friday, July 31, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. EDT.
Following the submission period, the scientific review committee chaired by Dr. Habibi will evaluate proposals based on scientific merit, innovation, and potential impact.
Grant recipients are expected to be selected during the late fall of 2026.
The launch of the Music as Medicine Neuroscience Research Initiative marks an important step toward advancing scientific understanding of how music can influence brain health and improve patient care. By supporting interdisciplinary research into the biological mechanisms, clinical applications, and implementation of music-based therapies, the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health aims to generate new evidence that could ultimately transform the treatment of neurological and mental health disorders.
As interest in non-pharmacological therapies continues to grow, the initiative underscores the increasing recognition that music may serve not only as a source of comfort and expression but also as a scientifically grounded therapeutic tool. Through collaboration among researchers, clinicians, artists, and healthcare organizations, the program seeks to accelerate discoveries that may improve the lives of patients living with Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, depression, and other conditions affecting the brain and overall well-being.
About the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health
FNIH builds public-private partnerships that connect leading biomedical scientists at the National Institutes of Health, life sciences companies, foundations, academia and regulatory agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency. Through team science, we solve complex health challenges and accelerate breakthroughs for patients, regardless of who they are or what health challenges they face. FNIH accelerates new therapies, diagnostics and potential cures; advances global health; and helps train the next generations of scientists. Established by Congress to support the mission of NIH, FNIH is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization. For more information, please visit fnih.org.
