A new study with a different approach shows an encouraging way to connect with patients with Dementia and Associated Disorders
The recent study was conducted by Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, in collaboration with the Institute for Therapy through the Arts (ITA). This study was different because it targeted patients with dementia and their caregivers, said lead study author Dr. Borna Bonakdarpour. Most prior studies using music for dementia patients have focused only on the patients.
“Patients were able to connect with partners through music, a connection that was not available to them verbally,” said Bonakdarpour, an associate professor of neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a Northwestern Medicine neurologist. “The family and friends of people with dementia also are affected by it. It’s painful for them when they can’t connect with a loved one. When language is no longer possible, music gives them a bridge to each other.”
The study was published Aug. 25 in Alzheimer Disease and Associated Disorders.
Musical memory, processing not as affected by Alzheimer’s
Music memories often remain in the brain even as language and other memories disappear in dementia, Bonakdarpour said. This is because regions of the brain that are involved in musical memory and processing (e.g., the cerebellum) are not as affected by Alzheimer’s or dementia until much later in the disease course. Thus, patients can retain the ability to dance and sing long after their ability to talk has diminished.
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, more than 6 million people in the United States have Alzheimer’s disease.
“Patients were able to connect with partners through music, a connection that was not available to them verbally,” said Bonakdarpour, an associate professor of neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a Northwestern Medicine neurologist. “The family and friends of people with dementia also are affected by it. It’s painful for them when they can’t connect with a loved one. When language is no longer possible, music gives them a bridge to each other.”
The study was published Aug. 25 in Alzheimer Disease and Associated Disorders.
Musical memory, processing not as affected by Alzheimer’s
Music memories often remain in the brain even as language and other memories disappear in dementia, Bonakdarpour said. This is because regions of the brain that are involved in musical memory and processing (e.g., the cerebellum) are not as affected by Alzheimer’s or dementia until much later in the disease course. Thus, patients can retain the ability to dance and sing long after their ability to talk has diminished.
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, more than 6 million people in the United States have Alzheimer’s disease.
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