Studying the Effects of Learning New Songs on Thinking and Mood in Adults 65 and Older with Alzheimers Disease

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are investigating how learning new songs through individual, intensive musical training may affect cognition, behavior, and brain function in adults aged 65 or older with Alzheimers disease AD. This study, called Memory for Music, addresses the limited understanding of how active music interventions like singing influence cognition, despite known benefits for mood and quality of life in people with dementia. The project includes participants from Argentina, Austria, and Norway and focuses on non-musician adults living at home with AD. Participants will receive two types of music training in a randomized order five months of intensive training with two sessions per week and five months of minimal training with one session per month, separated by a two-month break. Each session lasts 30 to 40 minutes and involves learning new songs chosen by the participant, guided by a trained music instructor. Sessions follow a structured manual and are video-recorded for adherence evaluation. Treatment as usual, including medications and other interventions, will continue alongside the study. Throughout the study, researchers will measure general cognition using the Alzheimers Disease Assessment Scale - Cognitive ADAS-cog at baseline, 5, 7, and 12 months. Memory for music will be assessed through behavioral tasks, observations, and brain responses measured by EEG, focusing on specific event-related potentials N400. Mood will be tracked in every session using a 5-point emoji scale. Other assessments include sense of familiarity with songs and performance during singing. The study aims to include 113 participants and explores how factors like mood, age, sex, AD stage, and previous musical experience influence outcomes.

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