Effect of Active Music Therapy and Individualized Listening to Music on Dementia: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial

• Published in: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (JAGS) Vol. 63; no. 8; pp. 1534 - 1539
• Main Authors: Raglio, Alfredo, Bellandi, Daniele, Baiardi, Paola, Gianotti, Marta, Ubezio, Maria Chiara, Zanacchi, Elisa, Granieri, Enrico, Imbriani, Marcello, Stramba-Badiale, Marco
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-08-2015; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Anxiety; behavioral disturbances; Clinical trials; Dementia; Dementia - diagnosis; Dementia - psychology; Dementia - rehabilitation; Dementia disorders; Female; Humans; listening to music; Male; Mental depression; Music; Music therapy; Music Therapy - methods; Neural coding; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Quality of Life; Treatment Outcome; dementia; behavioral disturbances; listening to music; music therapy
• ISSN: 0002-8614; 1532-5415
• DOI: 10.1111/jgs.13558

Objectives
To assess the effects of active music therapy (MT) and individualized listening to music (LtM) on behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSDs) in persons with dementia (PWDs).
Design
Randomized controlled trial.
Setting
Nine Italian institutions.
Participants
Persons with moderate to severe dementia and BPSDs (N = 120) were randomized to one of three treatments.
Interventions
All groups received standard care (SC), and two groups attended 20 individualized MT or LtM sessions, twice a week, in addition to SC.
Measurements
The Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI), Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia (CSDD), and Cornell‐Brown Scale for Quality of Life in Dementia (CBS‐QoL) were administered before treatment, after treatment, and at follow‐up to evaluate behavioral and psychological outcomes. A specific coding scheme (Music Therapy Check List—Dementia) was used to evaluate the MT process.
Results
Behavioral assessment did not show significant differences between groups. All groups showed a reduction over time in NPI global score (P ≤ .001), CSDD (P = .001), and CBS‐QoL (P = .01). The NPI global score fell 28% in the MT group, 12% in the LtM group, and 21% in the SC group at the end of treatment. An exploratory post hoc analysis showed similar within‐group improvements for the NPI Delusion, Anxiety, and Disinhibition subscales. In the MT group, communication and relationships between the music therapists and PWDs showed a positive albeit nonsignificant trend during treatment.
Conclusion
The addition of MT or LtM to standard care did not have a significant effect on BPSDs in PWDs. Further studies on the effects of the integration of standard care with different types of music interventions on BPSD in PWD are warranted.