We’re all curious about how music can be a neurological intervention for those with cognitive decline. Many of us have heard of something called “music therapy.” How can music help prevent cognitive decline in those with dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI)? How can it help overall executive function?
In this meta-analysis by Ito et al., various studies were reviewed to put together a vast analysis of the effects of music on those with dementia or MCI. They evaluated a variety of music-based interventions on multiple cognitive functions. In the introduction, they say that “music skill is a preserved skill in people with dementia” (Ito et al.). As incredible as it may seem, the functions required to listen to and play music seem to be almost untouched by dementia at the beginning. Using music intervention has been proven to have a positive effect on both those with dementia and MCI. This paper specifically focuses on music-based interventions through music therapy, using various forms of music, not just playing. There were around a thousand participants in this review, and they were all men and women aged 60+ with a clinical diagnosis of MCI or dementia. The intervention was “any music-based intervention or community music activity including listening to music, singing, playing, and instruction and music with movement or exercise” (Ito et al.). They were compared against a control group that did not receive any music intervention but could have a separate non-music-related intervention. The interventions lasted around three months, and their timing per week varied, but in general, each session lasted around 50 minutes. The researchers then compared the various cognitive tests used across the studies to see the results that music had on these participants.
The scientists found three main positive results. There were improvements in general cognitive function, episodic memory, and executive function. General cognitive function was assessed by two types of tests, one called the MMSE and the other called the MoCA. The MMSE is a test that assesses for dementia and evaluates basic orientation, simple tasks, and language. The scores after the music intervention improved greatly, meaning that the intervention helped improve basic attention, language, and orientation, but didn’t have a huge effect on the more complex executive functions. However, the MoCA, which assesses more complex cognitive function, was also seen to improve, but not to the extent that the MMSE did.
Music-based intervention also led to improvements in executive function, but more specifically through active music-making. Throughout this analysis, various studies used both types of music intervention: active and receptive. Active music intervention involves the physical engagement of singing, playing an instrument, and generally taking part in the making of music. Receptive music intervention involves simply listening to music and not directly taking part in the making of music.
Music-based intervention also led to an improvement in episodic memory. In this case, the studied interventions asked participants to sing and listen to their favorite songs or listen to music and recall experiences related to that music. This action of encouraging participants to understand the lyrics they were hearing and recall memories helps facilitate greater episodic memory performance. This means that the memories associated with the music they listen to are able to come back, and this active process of bringing those memories back does, in fact, help with general memory in those with MCI and dementia.
Overall, music intervention clearly serves as a great tool in helping improve the quality of life of those with MCI and dementia and can help improve cognitive function, executive function, and episodic memory performance. Music is a beautiful thing!
