Music Therapy as Non-Pharmacological Treatment in Alzheimer’s Disease—Effects on Memory—Systematic Review
Abstract
:1. Music Therapy as Non-Pharmacological Treatment in Alzheimer’s Disease—Effects on Memory—Systematic Review
2. Method
3. Results
3.1. Effects of Music Therapy on the Memory of Patients with Mild and Moderate AD
3.2. Memory Systems in Which Music Therapy Has Shown Effectiveness in Treating Patients with AD
3.3. Music Therapy Techniques Applied to Intervention in Patients with AD
4. Discussion
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Patient (P) | Individuals Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease |
Intervention (I) | Music therapy treatment or music intervention |
Comparation (C) | Compared with other intervention without music |
Outcome (O) | Memory-related symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. Methods and measurement tools to assess extent of intervention. |
Study Design (S) | Clinical trials (with and without control group) |
Inclusion Criteria | Exclusion Criteria |
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|
Author (Year) | Title | Objectives | Participants/Control Group | Intervention | Measurement Instruments |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Arroyo-Anlló et al. [32] | Familiar Music as an Enhancer of Self-Consciousness in Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease. | Assessing the difference in self-awareness performance between conditions of familiar and unfamiliar songs for patients with AD. | Forty patients diagnosed with mild to moderate probable AD, randomly assigned to an experimental group (familiar songs) and a control group (unfamiliar songs). | Based on listening to personalized (familiar) music. Individual sessions of 2 to 4 min, 3 times per week for 12 weeks.The presence of a music therapist is not specified. The caregiver received the information and training necessary to carry out the music program in one session before the intervention phase. | Self-Consciousness Questionnaire, which includes a measure of prospective memory as a component of self-awareness. |
Basaglia-Pappas et al. [33] | Exploration of verbal and non-verbal semantic knowledge and autobiographical memories triggered by popular songs in Alzheimer’s disease. | Assessing the preservation of musical memory and demonstrating that popular songs can aid in reminiscence in AD by examining different systems of musical memory (melodic, semantic, and autobiographical). | Twelve patients diagnosed with mild probable AD (experimental group) and 12 healthy subjects (control group) exposed to music. | Receptive music therapy (listening to personalized music). A single 1 h individual session. The presence of a music therapist is not specified. | POP10. A tool developed by the researchers to assess melodic, semantic, and autobiographical memory for ten popular songs. It includes 4 subtests for each musical excerpt: recall, recognition, semantic knowledge, and autobiographical recall. |
Cuddy et al. [34] | Music-evoked autobiographical memories (MEAMs) in Alzheimer disease: Evidence for a positivity effect. | Evaluate the presence of the positivity effect in MEAM. | Twenty patients diagnosed with mild, moderate, or severe probable AD, including 4 with cerebrovascular impairment (experimental group), 20 healthy older adults (control group), and 20 young adults (control group) exposed to music. | Receptive music therapy (listening to personalized melodies). A single individual session of music and memory, duration unspecified. The presence of a music therapist is also unspecified. | Assessment of AD patients’ ability to evoke autobiographical memories during sessions. To obtain a MEAM, musical excerpts are played to participants, who are asked to describe any memories from their past that the music evokes. Memories are classified as MEAM or nonMEAM by two independent judges. |
El Haj et al. [35] | The involuntary nature of music-evoked autobiographical memories in Alzheimer’s disease. | Investigate the involuntary nature of autobiographical memory evoked by music in patients with AD. | Sixteen patients diagnosed with mild probable AD (experimental group), 16 healthy older adults, and 16 healthy young adults (control groups) exposed to conditions with and without music. | Receptive music therapy (listening to personalized music). A single individual session for each experimental condition, duration unspecified. The involvement of a music therapist is also unspecified. | Autobiographical memory task (TEMPau) for semantic and episodic autobiographical memory. Subscores include temporal orientation and recall of 3 words from MMSE for episodic memory. Evaluation of memories evoked by music through a question about any life memory after exposure. |
El Haj et al. [36] | Self-defining memories during exposure to music in Alzheimer’s disease. | Investigate whether exposure to music could enhance the production of self-defined memories in patients with AD. | Total of 22 patients diagnosed with mild probable AD (experimental group) and 24 healthy subjects (control group) exposed to conditions of participant-chosen music, investigator-chosen music, and silence. | Receptive music therapy (listening to personalized music). A single individual session for each experimental condition, duration unspecified. The involvement of a music therapist is also unspecified. | Adaptation of TEMPau for semantic, episodic, and self-defined autobiographical memory. Evaluation of memories evoked by music through question about any life memory after exposure. |
Giovagnoli et al. [37] | Cognitive training in Alzheimer’s disease: a controlled randomized study. | Evaluate the effects of cognitive training compared to active music therapy and neuroeducation on initiative in patients with mild to moderate AD, as well as the effects on episodic memory, mood, and social relationships. | A total of 39 patients diagnosed with mild or moderate probable AD, randomly assigned to three experimental conditions: cognitive training, music therapy, or neuroeducation. | Active music therapy. Non-verbal approach (free sound–musical interactions using rhythmic and melodic instruments). Group sessions of 45 min, twice a week for 12 weeks. The involvement of a music therapist is specified. | Short Story Test (SST) to assess long-term episodic memory, by asking participants to repeat a short story immediately after presentation and after a 10 min interval. |
Gómez and Gómez [38] | Musicoterapia en la enfermedad de Alzheimer: efectos cognitivos, psicológicos y conductuales. | To understand the clinical effects of music therapy intervention on patients with AD. | A total of 42 patients diagnosed with mild or moderate probable AD. There was no control group present. All participants received music therapy treatment. | Active music therapy. Individualized music based on participants’ preferences. Two group sessions per week lasting 45 min, conducted over 6 weeks. The involvement of a music therapist is specified. | Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) as an outcome measure to assess the effects of the intervention on cognition and memory. |
Gómez et al. [39] | Comparative Efficacy of Active Group Music Intervention versus Group Music Listening in Alzheimer’s Disease. | Compare the clinical effects of two types of musical interventions (active music intervention and receptive music intervention) and a control activity (usual care attention) on cognition, behavior, activities of daily living, and motor function in patients with AD. | Ninety patients diagnosed with mild or moderate probable AD, randomly assigned to experimental group with active music intervention, experimental group with receptive music intervention, or control group without intervention. | Active and receptive music therapy. Individualized music based on participants’ preferences. Two group sessions per week lasting 45 min, conducted over 6 weeks. The involvement of a music therapist is specified. | MMSE as an outcome measure to assess the effects of the intervention on cognition and memory. |
Li et al. [40] | Adjunct effect of music therapy on cognition in Alzheimer’s disease in Taiwan: a pilot study. | Evaluate the complementary long-term and home-based effect of music therapy in patients with AD who are undergoing pharmacological treatment. | A total of 41 patients diagnosed with mild probable AD. Assignment to the experimental group (receptive music) or control group (no intervention) was based on voluntary acceptance of music therapy. | Based on listening to music selected by researchers. Individual sessions of 30 min, twice a day for 6 months. The involvement of a music therapist is also unspecified. | Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument (CASI) to assess short-term and long-term memory. It includes nine cognitive domains (short-term and long-term memory, orientation, attention, concentration, category fluency, language, reasoning, and visual construction). |
Lyu et al. [41] | The Effects of Music Therapy on Cognition, Psychiatric Symptoms, and Activities of Daily Living in Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease. | Explore the effects of music therapy on cognitive function and mental well-being in patients with AD. | A total of 288 patients diagnosed with mild, moderate, or severe probable AD, randomly assigned to the singing group (defined as the music therapy group), lyric-reading group, and control group without intervention. | Active music therapy based on singing and listening to individualized music (based on participants’ preferences). Group sessions lasting 30 to 40 min, twice a day for 3 months. The involvement of a music therapist is specified. | Auditory Verbal Learning Test (WHO-UCLA AVLT) to assess short-term and long-term memory. Immediate word recall (repetition instantly) and delayed recall (repetition 30 min later). |
Ponce et al. [42] | Music stimulation as a method of optimizing autobiographical memory in patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. | Analyzing the impact of a musical stimulation protocol on the performance of autobiographical memory in older adults with AD. | Three patients diagnosed with mild or moderate probable AD. There was no control group present. All participants received musical stimulation treatment. | Active music therapy. Individualized music based on participants’ preferences. Individual sessions lasting 30 to 60 min, twice a week for 4 weeks. The involvement of a music therapist is specified. | Spanish adaptation of the Autobiographical Memory Test (AMT), to assess effects on autobiographical memory (specific, extended, and categorical memories, semantic associations, and omissions). Autobiographical Memory Interview (IAM) for the semantic and episodic components of autobiographical memory. |
Satoh et al. [43] | Music Therapy Using Singing Training Improves Psychomotor Speed in Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease: A Neuropsychological and fMRI Study. | Investigate the effect of singing training on cognitive function in patients with AD. | Twenty patients diagnosed with mild probable AD. Assignment to the experimental group (singing training) or control group (no treatment) was based on voluntary acceptance and meeting criteria. | Active music therapy (singing training). Individualized music based on participants’ preferences. Group sessions lasting 1 h, once a week for 6 months, with individual singing practice 3 times a week. The involvement of a music therapist is not specified. | Rivermead Behavioral Memory Test (RBMT) to assess memory for everyday life. |
Simmons-Stern et al. [44] | Music-Based Memory Enhancement in Alzheimer’s Disease: Promise and Limitations. | Investigate the effects of music on memory in patients with AD by making song lyrics relevant to daily life and examining how musical encoding affects various aspects of episodic memory. | Twelve patients diagnosed with mild probable AD (experimental group) and 12 healthy subjects (control group) exposed to a list of songs. | Receptive music therapy (listening to music). Learning and recalling songs with children’s music and lyrics containing instructions for various activities of daily living. A single individual session lasting 1.5 h. The involvement of a music therapist is not specified. | Assessment of episodic memory using a musical mnemonic test. The evaluation was conducted immediately after exposure to the music, involving a recall test of lyrics adapted to daily life and a recognition test. |
Zhang and Liu [45] | The effects of continuing care combined with music therapy on the linguistic skills, self-care, and cognitive function in Alzheimer’s disease patients. | Investigate the effects of combined sustained attention training with music therapy on language skills, self-care abilities, and cognitive function in elderly patients with AD. | A total of 73 patients diagnosed with mild probable AD, randomly assigned to an experimental group (list of songs chosen by the subjects) or a control group (no intervention). | Based on listening to individualized music (chosen based on patients’ preferences). Individual sessions of 30 min, 3 times a day. The duration of the intervention is not specified. | Western Aphasia Battery (WAB) to assess language memory. It covers key clinical aspects of language function (content, fluency, auditory comprehension, repetition and naming, reading, writing, and calculation). |
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Madera-Cimadevilla, T.; Cantero-García, M.; Rueda-Extremera, M. Music Therapy as Non-Pharmacological Treatment in Alzheimer’s Disease—Effects on Memory—Systematic Review. J. Ageing Longev. 2024, 4, 209-224. https://doi.org/10.3390/jal4030015
Madera-Cimadevilla T, Cantero-García M, Rueda-Extremera M. Music Therapy as Non-Pharmacological Treatment in Alzheimer’s Disease—Effects on Memory—Systematic Review. Journal of Ageing and Longevity. 2024; 4(3):209-224. https://doi.org/10.3390/jal4030015
Chicago/Turabian StyleMadera-Cimadevilla, Tania, María Cantero-García, and María Rueda-Extremera. 2024. "Music Therapy as Non-Pharmacological Treatment in Alzheimer’s Disease—Effects on Memory—Systematic Review" Journal of Ageing and Longevity 4, no. 3: 209-224. https://doi.org/10.3390/jal4030015