Music Therapy for Older Adults With Cognitive Decline Living in Care Homes

May 3, 2023 updated by: Anthony Mangiacotti, Middlesex University

Evaluation of Cognitive Effects Generated by Music Therapy for Older Adults With Cognitive Impairment Living in Care Homes - a Randomized Control Trial

This research aims to investigate whether the use of music-improvisation therapy for older adult participants can lead to improvements in cognitive ability levels, especially in attentional functions. Very relevant reviews highlight studies that demonstrate the effectiveness of Music Therapy training. However, only a few are based on randomised criteria and structured methodological approaches. This affects the generalizability of findings, as to whether Music Therapy interventions are effective in improving cognitive functions, mood, and quality of life of people with cognitive decline.

In order to make a difference, there is a need for more studies that are structured [i] according to rigorous empirical criteria (namely involving random assignment of participants to activity groups), [ii] and that gather scientific evidence, based on both standardized cognitive tests and biomarkers (hormones: Cortisol, or stress hormone, and DHEA or aging hormone; brain signal, EEG; Physiology: Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia).

In this RCT study, the investigator investigated the effect of 4-month music therapy vs Storytelling program for older adults with cognitive decline, living in care homes.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

  1. - What are the cognitive-neuropsychological benefits of Music Therapy activities in older adults with mild-moderate cognitive impairment?
  2. - What are the behavioural-wellbeing benefits of Music Therapy activities in older adults with mild-moderate cognitive impairment?
  3. - Can Music Therapy influence the psychophysiological domains (i.e., cortisol/DHEA ratio, RSA) of people with mild-moderate cognitive impairment?

Participants A power sample size calculation with an effect size (f) = 0.26, α= 0.05, Power (1-β) = 0.80 (any level over 0.80 is considered satisfactory) was performed with G*Power software yielding an overall n=32 minimum participant sample.

Participants were randomly allocated by a blind researcher to a MT (experimental group) or a ST intervention (active control group) using a computerised randomisation method.

To minimise a possible drop-out rate with a consequent loss of power, a total of 50 participants were recruited, of which 42 completed the study, 23 in the experimental group and 19 in the control group. All participants underwent a neuropsychological test battery examination. No baseline differences were found between the experimental and control group as to screening demographic variables, MMSE, Cognitive Reserve and a battery of cognitive and behavioural tests. Hence the two groups were equivalent at the start of the study.

DATA ANALYSIS Data of the neuropsychological, well-being and biomarker measures were analysed using a mixed design ANOVA with time (pre-post intervention) as a within-subject factor and group (MT vs ST) as a between-subjects factor. The dependent variables were the cognitive, neuropsychological test and biomarkers tests. Quantitative data were processed using IBM SPSS Statistic 25. Partial eta-square (ηp²) and Cohen's d were used as a measure of effect size.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

42

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Aged ≥60yrs
  • No significant hearing impairment that would negatively interfere with the music-based interventions
  • Fluent in English
  • Cognitive impairment: mild MMSE= 18-23, moderate MMSE= 10-17

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Presence of severe motor deficits that would not allow individuals to participate in the intervention
  • Having taken part in a cognitive training programme or Music Therapy programme within the last 6 months.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Experimental
Improvisational Music Therapy - 45min, one 2 one intervention.
Behavioral: Music Therapy

Weekly individual (one2one) Music Therapy intervention lasting 4 months (n=16 sessions).

Behavioral: Music Therapy Music therapy is a non-pharmacological intervention, in which music and its elements are used professionally as an intervention in medical, educational, and everyday environments with individuals, groups, families, or communities who seek to optimize their quality of life and improve their physical, social, communicative, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual health and wellbeing. This therapy has been shown to provide significant benefits for individuals with cognitive decline living in care homes, enhancing social-cognitive functions and reducing behavioural symptoms (Brotons & Koger, 2000; Hsu et al., 2015; Zhang et al., 2017).
Active Comparator: Active Control
Storytelling activity - 45min, one 2 one intervention.
Behavioral: Storytelling

Weekly individual (one2one) Storytelling intervention lasting 4 months (n=16 sessions).

Behavioural: Storytelling is a non-pharmacological activity, in which a professional activity coordinator reads different stories (e.g., poems, novels) to the participants and used them to initiate a possible conversation.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Music Cognitive Test (MCT)
Time Frame: Change in MCT score from baseline (time 0) to post-intervention period (+4 months).

The Music Cognitive Test (Mangiacotti et al., 2022) which is a music-based cognitive screening test, specifically designed to measure possible changes brought by music-based interventions.

The score range is 0-52 points; A higher score indicates better cognitive performance, with a score of 45 or above considered normal cognitive functioning.
Change in MCT score from baseline (time 0) to post-intervention period (+4 months).
Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia (CSDD, Alexopoulos et al., 1988)
Time Frame: Change in CSDD score from baseline (time 0) to post-intervention period (+4 months).

The Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia (CSDD) is a test to screen depressive symptoms in older adults with dementia and cognitive impairment.

Each item is rated for severity on a scale of 0-2 (0=absent, 1=mild or intermittent, 2=severe). The score range is 0-38 with scores above 10 indicating a probable major depression. Scores above 18 indicate a definite major depression.
Change in CSDD score from baseline (time 0) to post-intervention period (+4 months).

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA, Nasreddine et al., 2005)
Time Frame: Change in MoCa score from baseline (time 0) to post-intervention period (+4 months).
The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) is a brief extensively validated screening tool to measure cognitive impairment and is widely used in both clinical and experimental settings. The score range is 0-30 points; A higher score indicates better cognitive performance with a score of 26 or above considered normal cognitive functioning.
Change in MoCa score from baseline (time 0) to post-intervention period (+4 months).
Verbal Fluency test, Phonemic & Semantic (VFT, Ardila et al., 2006; Machado et al., 2009)
Time Frame: Change in VTF score from baseline (time 0) to post-intervention period (+4 months).
The Verbal Fluency test (VTF) is used to investigate lexical skills, semantic verbal fluency as well as the ability to organize an adequate research strategy. The total score for VFT is made by counting up the total number of animals (for the Semantic part) or words (for the Phonemic part) that the individual is able to produce. A higher score indicates better cognitive performance.
Change in VTF score from baseline (time 0) to post-intervention period (+4 months).
Clock Drawing test (CDT, Mondini et al., 2011)
Time Frame: Change in CDT score from baseline (time 0) to post-intervention period (+4 months).
The Clock Drawing test (CDT) is used to evaluate praxis abilities, mental representation and planning abilities. The score range for CDT is 0-10 points with a higher score indicating better cognitive performance.
Change in CDT score from baseline (time 0) to post-intervention period (+4 months).
Tangled Figure Test (TFT, in Mondini et al., 2011, adaptation of Rey, 1964)
Time Frame: Change in TFT score from baseline (time 0) to post-intervention period (+4 months).
The Tangle Figure Test (TFT) provides information on spatial-cognitive abilities and executive and naming difficulties. The score range for TFT is 0-50 with a higher score indicating better cognitive performance.
Change in TFT score from baseline (time 0) to post-intervention period (+4 months).
Trail Making Test (TMT-A, in Mondini et al., 2011)
Time Frame: Change in TMT-A score from baseline (time 0) to post-intervention period (+4 months).
The Trail Making Test-A (TMT-A) assess selective attention and psychomotor speed. The test is scored based on how many seconds it takes the participant to complete the trial. Higher scores indicate a higher degree of cognitive impairment.
Change in TMT-A score from baseline (time 0) to post-intervention period (+4 months).
Bristol Activities of Daily Living Scale (BADL, Bucks et al., 1996)
Time Frame: Change in BADL score from baseline (time 0) to post-intervention period (+4 months).
The Bristol Activities of Daily Living is a scale developed to measure activities of daily living (ADL) specifically designed for individuals with mild dementia living in a care home setting. The score range is 0-60, with a higher score indicating a higher degree of dependence on ADL.
Change in BADL score from baseline (time 0) to post-intervention period (+4 months).
Quality of Life in Alzheimer's Disease (QoL, Logsdon et al., 2002).
Time Frame: Change in QoL score from baseline (time 0) to post-intervention period (+4 months).
The Quality of Life in Alzheimer's Disease (QoL) measures the quality of life in dementia. QoL is measured using the 13-item scale. Total score range from 13-52; higher scores indicate better quality of life.
Change in QoL score from baseline (time 0) to post-intervention period (+4 months).
The Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS, Diener et al., 1985).
Time Frame: Change in SWLS score from baseline (time 0) to post-intervention period (+4 months).
The Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) is a widely used 5-item measure of global life satisfaction and showed sufficient sensitivity to be a potentially valuable tool to detect changes in life satisfaction during clinical interventions (Pavot & Diener, 2009). The scale is a 7-point Likert-style response scale. The possible range of scores is 5-35 points.
Change in SWLS score from baseline (time 0) to post-intervention period (+4 months).
Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI, Cummings et al., 1994)
Time Frame: Change in NPI score from baseline (time 0) to post-intervention period (+4 months).
The Neuropsychiatric Inventory is a tool that provides information on behavioral symptoms commonly encountered in people with brain disorders. The total range score is 0-144 with a higher score indicating severe neuropsychiatric symptoms.
Change in NPI score from baseline (time 0) to post-intervention period (+4 months).

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Salivary Hormones index (cortisol/DHEA ratio) change from baseline/post (i.e., time 0/+4 months)
Time Frame: [Time Frame: Baseline vs. mid vs. post- intervention period (time 0/+2-months/+4months)

Two types of salivary hormones will be collected: 1) Cortisol, which is associated with emotional distress and depressive symptoms (Herbert, 2013); 2) DHEA is an age-related hormone involved in different physiological mechanisms (anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory; Kurata et al., 2004). The cortisol/DHEA ratio can be considered a reliable stress index (Theorell et al., 2021). The average of four daily collections will be performed to obtain a single daily value. Four passive-drool samples are collected in a single day for each participant:

  • At awakening (7am - 8am)
  • Before lunchtime (11.00am to 12.30am);
  • Before dinner (4pm to 5pm);
  • Evening (from 7pm to 8pm).
[Time Frame: Baseline vs. mid vs. post- intervention period (time 0/+2-months/+4months)
RSA change from baseline/post
Time Frame: Baseline and post- intervention period (time 0/+4 months)
• Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA): 5 min resting state based on Puyvelde et al., (2014)
Baseline and post- intervention period (time 0/+4 months)

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Middlesex University

Collaborators

Methodist Homes for the Aged

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Anthony Mangiacotti, PhD, Middlesex University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

February 1, 2018

Primary Completion (Actual)

August 28, 2019

Study Completion (Actual)

August 28, 2019

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

March 20, 2023

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 3, 2023

First Posted (Actual)

May 12, 2023

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 12, 2023

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 3, 2023

Last Verified

May 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • ST020-2018

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

the data have been analysed as group data (e.g., comparing men vs. women) and will be presented in an aggregate form

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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