Lewelyn Fernandez
Research Review
Writing 116
November 15, 2012
Music Therapy and Alzheimer’s disease: A Research Review
Abstract:
The main objective of this research review is to compare and contrast the methods
of six different research articles and to understand how each article uses music therapy to
help support the severe symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. The symptoms in these
research articles that will mainly be focused on are memory, language, and behavioral
functions. The methods used to test these symptoms vary throughout the research, but
they all incorporate music as technique in their experiments to try and delay the
progression of Alzheimer’s. The research done in all six of these studies all work
together to prove that music therapy when used correctly as a method of treatment can
benefit people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
Introduction:
Music therapy has been a popular method of treatment in psychology research,
but as it continues to benefit the study of the human mind. Alzheimer’s disease is an
illness that takes place in the brain and because no cure has been found, music therapy
remains as a potential method of treatment (1,2,3,4,5,6). Although minimal research has
been conducted in this the field, researcher resume to study if music therapy can support
the loss of neurons brain as resulting from Alzheimer’s disease (1,2,3,4,5,6). In studies
neurogenesis music therapy is being tested to determine is the neurons in the brain can
regenerate themselves efficiently with the help of music (2,4). Most research studies
mentioned in review share common methods and techniques used to cope with the
symptoms of the Alzheimer’s disease or slow down the progression of Alzheimer’s in the
brain (1,2,3,4,5,6).
Short-term vs. Long-term memory:
Researchers Belleville, Mernard and Shirm, Sambandham use similar methods of
music therapy to study the way the short-term and long-term memory can be enhance
through certain methods of music therapy. Both studies experiment on the short-term
and long-term part of the brain, testing the musical memory of patients with Alzheimer’s
disease (3,6). The research conducted by Belleville and Mernard states that music must
pass through the short-term memory before it can be processed and stored in the longterm memory (3). To test this theory Belleville and Mernard used a method where they
played unfamiliar music to two different groups of Alzheimer’s patient short-term
memory loss and long-term memory loss patients. The unfamiliar melodies would be
played for the patients 1, 5, 10 times throughout the day, and at the end of the day the
patients were tested with recognition tasks (3). The recognition tasks would determine
the improvement in patient’s memory if any existed. This experiment revealed that
patients with short-term memory loss patients displayed a higher score of remembering
unfamiliar music while the long-term memory loss patients scored fairly low (3). With
this being said Bellville and Mernard’s hypothesis about musical material passing
through the short-term memory before long-term memory was proven correct because the
short-term memory patients recalled 13 out of 30 unfamiliar melodies (3). Whereas
patients suffering with long-term memory who only recalled 5 our of the 30 unfamiliar
melodes (3). The research conducted by Shirm, and Sambandham experimented also on
the short-term and long-term memory of Alzheimer’s patients, but instead their research
was ongoing for almost six months (6). Even though Shirm and Sambandham treated
Alzheimer’s patients with different methods they were able to acquire positive results that
also prove that short-term memory patients benefited more than long-term memory loss
patients. The methods used in this research were first the caregivers presented a group of
Alzheimer’s patients suffering with short-term memory loss with their favorite styles of
music specially selected from their loved ones (6). The caregivers were ordered to
repeatedly play the music for the patients everyday. After months of repetition the
patients appeared to have developed a better recollection of the music that was always
one familiar to them (6). The key in this research study was repetition, by reiterating the
music to the patients everyday, the music started to stimulate their brain enhancing their
memory of the familiar music played for them. In both of these case studies they
achieved their objectives of using music therapy to benefit the short-term and long-term
memory of Alzheimer’s diseased patients.
Language and Communication dysfunctions:
The researchers Simmons-Stern Nicholas, Budson et. al and Koger and Brotons
both discuss the language and communication dysfunctions that occur in the population
of people with Alzheimer’s disease (1,5). Although the studies in these two articles share
similar topics they use different techniques of music therapy to study language and
communication dysfunction in Alzheimer’s. Researchers Simmons-Stern Nicholas,
Budson et. al used children’s songs with recurring lyrical patterns printed lyrics from a
computer and a music player with the song the children’s songs on them (1). The
purpose of this experiment was to discover if Alzheimer’s participants benefited from
music being sung or spoken to them. There were two groups in this study Alzheimer’s
diseased participants and healthy elderly adults (1,5). Researchers assumed that the
participants in both groups would benefit more from the lyrics being sung rather than
spoken because by singing the music and encouraging the patient to sing along it would
enhance their communication skills (1,5). The results show that in both groups that the
participants who had the music lyrics sung to them improved their communication and
socializing skills compared to the patients who only had the lyrics spoken to them. Once
again proving the therapy used in a musical environment can influenced the positive
outcomes such as improved communication and language skills. In the research article
conducted by Koger and Brotons a slightly different path was taken where they had the
Alzheimer’s participants sing during the musical therapy sessions (1,5). Along with
pictures of their favorite singers to help them reminisce the memories lost from their past
these methods appeared to be effective when used in long term trials (5). The
participants in this study showed that by encouraging the patients sing the musical lyrics
it triggered parts of the brain where language is located helping them recuperate the poor
communication and socializing skills they suffer from.
Active and Passive Music Therapy:
Once again researchers Simmons-Stern Nicholas, Budson et. al and Shirm, and
Sambandham exhibit a commonality in Alzheimer’s disease which is using active and
passive music therapy as methods to help slow down the progression Alzheimer’s in the
brain (1,6). The first article by Simmons-Stern Nicholas, Budson et. al used alike
methods where during the passive music therapy session the caregivers allowed the
patients to listen to a tape recorder with children’s musical lyrics, while during the active
music therapy session the patient was allowed so sing songs or play an instrument from
their past (1). Results displayed that active music therapy sessions were more efficient
than passive music therapy sessions because the caregivers interacted more with the
patient encouraging them to play or sing music (1,6). This played a significant part in the
research because the Alzheimer’s patients were able to reminisce short parts of their
musical memory helping them how to sing or play an instrument from their past. The
second article by Shirm, and Sambandham uses passive and active music therapy
methods to observe if they have an affect on Alzheimer’s patients (6). For passive music
therapy nurses used a tape recorder with repetitive tunes permitting the patient to listen to
the music during the 20 minutes session. The music session met three days of the week
for three months (6). While active music therapy was simultaneously taking place on the
other group of patients. The methods practiced were different because the patient had to
be musically inclined in either playing an instrument or be vocally inclined being able to
sing (6). Observations show that the passive music therapy patients showed minimal
amount of memory recall, where as the active music therapy showed a greater
improvement in their aptitudes of reminiscence because of the positive interaction the
patient had with the instructor (1,6).
Conclusion:
Following the topics discussed in this research review the methods and techniques
used for music therapy can be altered in several ways to improve a certain function or
abilities lost by one suffering with Alzheimer’s. Short term and long term memory use a
certain method, such as repeating musical melodies that trigger the regions of the brain
where dysfunctions occur. Methods for language and communication dysfunctions vary
in the types of approach because the two forms of verbal and active music therapy
supported the recuperation both communication and language skills. The similar
techniques of active and passive music therapy use specific directions that target
cognitive, verbal, and behavioral or memory aptitude. Although music therapy has a
diverse system of treatments, they all share one thing in common which is that they use
music to help cope with the disabilities of Alzheimer’s disease.
References:
1. Simmons-Stern Nicholas R., Andrew E. Budson, Brandon A. Ally. Music as A
Memory Enhancer in Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease. Neuropsychologia. 2010. 3
October 2012. 10:3164-3167.
2. Fukui Hajime, Kumiko Toyoshima. Music Facilitate the Neurogenesis, Regeneration
and Repair of Neurons. Medical Hypotheses. 2008. 3 October 2012. 71:765-769.
3. Marie-Claude Menard, Sylvie Belleville. Musical and Verbal Memory in Alzheimer’s
Disease: A study of long-term and short-term memory. Brain and Cognition. 2009. 3
October 2012. 71:39-45.
4. D Aldridge. Alzheimer’s Disease: rhythm, timing and music as therapy. Biomedicine
& Pharmacotherpay. 1994. 3 October 2012. 48:275-281.
5. Melissa Brotons, Susan M. Koger. The Impact of Music Therapy on Language
Functioning in Dementia. Journal of Music Therapy. 2000. 3 October 2012. 37:184195.
6. Mary Sambandham, Victoria Schirm. Music as a Nursing Intervention for Residents
with Alzheimer’s Disease in Long-Term care. Geriatric Nursing. 1995. 3 October 2012.
16:79-83.