Alzheimer's and Music Therapy Group

We have a new study out: Musical training and active musical engagement make the brain more resilient against neurodegenerative disease! (due to stronger structural connectivity of the right hippocampus.)
https://direct.mit.edu/imag/article/doi/10.1162/imag_a_00248/123634/The-Effects-of-Musicality-on-Brain-Network
Congratulations to Anna Maria Matziorinis for her stellar work!

The effects of musicality on brain network topology in the context of Alzheimer’s disease and memory decline Abstract. Music’s role in modulating brain structure, particularly in neurodegenerative contexts such as Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), has been increasingly recognized. While previous studies have hinted at the potential neuroplastic benefits of musical engagement and training, the mechanisms throug...

Do you live in Bergen, have kids, are married, and are between 18-60 years old? And have some time next Tue (6th Aug) for participating in one of our brain-scanning experiments? Should be fun and interesting, just contact me, we are still looking for more participants 😁😉😀🙏🙏🙏

https://tv.nrk.no/serie/demenskoret

Demenskoret Ingrid Gjessing Linhave starter et kor for sangglade personer med demens. Sammen jobber de mot en konsert foran en fullsatt sal på selveste Chat Noir.

We have just published:
Background
The Alzheimer’s and Music Therapy (ALMUTH) study is the first randomised controlled trial (RCT) design with 12 months of active non-pharmacological therapy (NPT) implementing music therapy (MT) and physical activity (PA) for participants with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The aim of the present article is to retrospectively examine the inclusion of mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s Disease patients into the main ALMUTH study protocol and to determine if continued inclusion of AD patients is warranted.

Methods
The randomised pilot trial was conducted as a parallel three-arm RCT, reflecting the experimental design of the ALMUTH study. The trial was conducted in Bergen, Norway, and randomisation (1:1:1) was performed by an external researcher. The study was open label and the experimental design features two active NPTs: MT and PA, and a passive control (no intervention, CON) in Norwegian speaking patients with AD who still live at home and could provide informed consent. Sessions were offered once per week (up to 90 min) up to 40 sessions over 12 months. Baseline and follow-up tests included a full neuropsychological test battery and three magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measurements (structural, functional, and diffusion weighted imaging). Feasibility outcomes were assessed and were determined as feasible if they met the target criteria.

Results
Eighteen participants with a diagnosis of mild-to-moderate AD were screened, randomised, and tested once at baseline and once after 12-months. Participants were divided into three groups: MT (n = 6), PA (n = 6), and CON (n = 6). Results of the study revealed that the ALMUTH protocol in patients with AD was not feasible. The adherence to the study protocol was poor (50% attended sessions), with attrition and retention rates at 50%. The recruitment was costly and there were difficulties acquiring participants who met the inclusion criteria. Issues with study fidelity and problems raised by staff were taken into consideration for the updated study protocol. No adverse events were reported by the patients or their caregivers.

Conclusions
The pilot trial was not deemed feasible in patients with mild-to-moderate AD. To mitigate this, the ALMUTH study has expanded the recruitment criteria to include participants with milder forms of memory impairment (pre-AD) in addition to expanding the neuropsychological test battery. The ALMUTH study is currently ongoing through 2023.

A 12-month randomised pilot trial of the Alzheimer’s and music therapy study: a feasibility assessment of music therapy and physical activity in patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s disease - Pilot and Feasibility Studies Background The Alzheimer’s and Music Therapy (ALMUTH) study is the first randomised controlled trial (RCT) design with 12 months of active non-pharmacological therapy (NPT) implementing music therapy (MT) and physical activity (PA) for participants with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The aim of the p...

If anyone is interested to read my article on the promise of Music Therapy for Alzheimer's disease - here is a free open access article below.

NYAS Publications Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease associated with cognitive decline. Memory problems are typically among the first signs of cognitive impairment in AD, and they wors...

Music therapy for Alzheimer's: brain, mood, and cognition. Music therapy has been suggested to have beneficial effects for patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), but there is a lack of research investigating this issue. This study aims to evaluate the effects of music therapy and physical activity on brain plasticity, mood, and cognition in a population ...

Musikkterapi i spesialisthelsetjenesten og hverdagsliv Helsedirektoratet anbefaler musikkterapi i flere nasjonale retningslinjer. Denne filmen inngår i en serie på seks filmer om musikkterapi i behandling av psyk...

En rapport i dag i Bergens Tidende om vårt forskningsprosjekt! 😊

Se live stream med en spesiell introduksjon fra verdens ledende musikk nevrovitenskapsmann!

Livestream: Beethoven 7 Watch the concert live on this page. The transmission starts at 19.25 CEST on Thursday 15 October and will be available until Sunday night.

Vi søker deltakere med hukommelsesvansker til forskningsprosjekt! Ta kontakt!