Abstract

Background/Objectives: Current trends show a significant increase in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) rates, reflecting a growing need for interventions. Recently, non-pharmacological interventions have received increased recognition as a viable option for ADRD prevention and disease modification. The current study focuses on a music-based community engagement program, titled B Sharp, to investigate the effects of music experiences on domain- and subtest-specific cognitive processing in ADRD. Methods: Participants were provided season tickets (six performances over ten months) to a local MasterWorks Symphony. Across the program’s three seasons (18 individual musical performances), a total of 55 individuals with ADRD participated. Subtest- and domain-specific changes in cognition were assessed before and after each individual symphony performance of 1.5–3 h duration. Variables of interest include auditory-verbal (N = 67) and visuospatial (N = 49) cognitive subtests. Results: In a comparison of pre- and post-symphony performance scores, results indicate statistically significant improvements on a visuospatial working memory task (Coding) (p = 0.021) and statistically significant decline on verbal working memory/immediate memory (List Learning/Story Memory) (p = 0.045). Significant differences were not observed on the remaining subtests. Discussion: Results suggest that even brief exposure to music results in cognitive benefits on visuospatial working memory and contribute to a body of findings which suggest that non-pharmacological arts-based programs may be beneficial for adults with ADRD for specific types of cognition, even for single or sporadic attendance. As research in arts programming increases, it is hoped that findings will guide how to apply various types of programs for specific cognitive deficits accompanying ADRD.

IPC Classification

Keywords