Memory for Music: Individual Intensive Musical Training in Alzheimer's Disease

Summary

This project, called Memory for Music, focuses on the increasing number of people worldwide living with dementia, especially Alzheimer's disease (AD). AD typically starts with memory problems and eventually affects daily activities. Active music interventions, especially singing, have shown positive effects on mood, behavior, and quality of life for people with dementia, but their impact on cognition is not well understood. The project aims to address this gap by studying the effects of learning new songs on cognitive, behavioral, and brain functioning. The study will involve home-dwelling adults aged 65 or older with AD from Argentina, Austria, and Norway. Participants will undergo 5 months of intensive musical training (twice a week) and 5 months of minimal training (once a month) in a random order, with a 2-month break in between. The interventions include learning new songs with a personal music teacher. General cognition will be measured using the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale - Cognitive (ADAS-cog), and memory for music will be assessed through various methods, including behavioral tasks and brain responses (EEG). Mood will also be evaluated in each session. The goal is to include 113 participants to ensure reliable detection of meaningful effects. The study will explore how mood and memory for music contribute to changes in cognitive abilities, and whether these effects vary based on factors such as sex, age, AD stage, or previous musical training and general education. The project emphasizes collaboration between researchers, service providers, and users to ensure the study's relevance and applicability.

Interventions

• Music training - intensive · BEHAVIORAL

  Music training entails learning novel songs the participant chooses from a list. Songs are similar in complexity and length (number of words, high frequency words, harmony, musical complexity, length of verses and chorus). Offering a variety of songs allows to examine memory performance regardless of the specific song chosen. Sessions last 30 to 40 minutes, conducted based on a manual (1. mood observation; 2. warm-up; 3. teaching the chorus, observed liking of song; 4. singing entire chorus; 5. singing chorus in context, 6. session closure with favourite song; 7. final mood observation; session rating), and are video-recorded. External evaluators audit the sessions video recordings to determine adherence to the manual. Sessions are offered twice a week for 5 months.

• Music training - minimal · BEHAVIORAL

  Music training entails learning novel songs the participant chooses from a list. Songs are similar in complexity and length (number of words, high frequency words, harmony, musical complexity, length of verses and chorus). Offering a variety of songs allows to examine memory performance regardless of the specific song chosen. Sessions last 30 to 40 minutes, conducted based on a manual (1. mood observation; 2. warm-up; 3. teaching the chorus, observed liking of song; 4. singing entire chorus; 5. singing chorus in context, 6. session closure with favourite song; 7. final mood observation; session rating), and are video-recorded. External evaluators audit the sessions video recordings to determine adherence to the manual. Sessions are offered once a month for 5 months.

• Treatment as Usual (TAU) · OTHER

  Medications, behavioural interventions and other treatments that participants may receive outside the study during the period of participation.

Published eligibility criteria

Verbatim from the registry. Only the site can decide how these apply to a specific patient.

Inclusion Criteria:

* Diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease
* Home-dwelling
* Non-musician

Exclusion Criteria:

* Non-Alzheimer dementia
* Living in care home
* History as a professional musician

Sites (6)

• Universidad de Ciencias Empresariales y Sociales, Buenos Aires, Argentina · RECRUITING
• University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria · RECRUITING
• University of Bergen, Bergen, Vestland, Norway · RECRUITING
• Haraldsplass Diakonale Sykehus, Bergen, Vestland, Norway · RECRUITING
• Kinn municipality, Florø, Norway · RECRUITING
• Oslo municipality, Oslo, Norway · RECRUITING