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1. Music and Cognition

Version 3.1 by Mark Neerincx on 2023/03/01 09:36

In recent years, music interventions have become a popular method of non-pharmacological treatment for people with Dementia (PwD) for a number of reasons. Music therapy involves a crucial component of client/ therapist interaction through an empirically supported model, and can consist of active (involving improvisation, singing, clapping, or dancing) and/or passive (music listening purposefully to identify emotional content emerging from music) techniques. Generalized music interventions involve the use of music without a music therapist with the goal of improving the well-being of the patient, following the protocols mentioned. Research has shown that music therapy helps in stimulating physical activity, evoking positive moods and emotions, and supporting social interaction while reducing anxiety and negative behavioral and cognitive symptoms. Cuddy et al. (xx) showed in their research that musical semantic memory may be spared through the mild and moderate stages of Dementia and may be preserved even in some individuals at the severe stage, making music unique stimuli for engaging with PwD. Based on their research, Cuddy et al. (2017) state that Music-evoked autobiographical memories (MEAMs) may reveal a sense of self-identity, an important aspect of quality of life.

In general, there are many studies that include music in treatments for people with dementia. Music can create associations, which we plan to exploit to connect certain songs with tasks such as preparing food, eating, drinking, etc. (Istvandity, 2015). However, music has also been shown to have a positive effect on the mental state of PwDs. That can be either short-term, calming them down at times when they are feeling especially anxious or irritated, or even long-term, preventing depression and improving their quality of life (Moreno-Morales et al., 2020).

  1. Cuddy, L. L., Sikka, R., & Vanstone, A. (2015). Preservation of musical memory and engagement in healthy aging and Alzheimer's disease. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1337(1), 223-231.
  2. Cuddy, L. L., Sikka, R., Silveira, K., Bai, S., & Vanstone, A. (2017). Music-evoked autobiographical memories (MEAMs) in Alzheimer disease: Evidence for a positivity effect. Cogent Psychology, 4(1), 1277578.
  3. Istvandity, L. (2017) Combining music and reminiscence therapy interventions for wellbeing in elderly populations: A systematic review, Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, Volume 28, Pages 18-25, ISSN 1744-3881, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctcp.2017.03.003. 
  4. Moreno-Morales, C., Calero, R., Moreno-Morales, P., & Pintado, C. (2020). Music Therapy in the Treatment of Dementia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Frontiers in medicine, 7, 160. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2020.00160.