Musical Engagement of Brain LObes in Alzheimer's Disease Patients StudY

Medical University of South Carolina10 enrolled

Overview

This is a randomized, cross-over study to measure global and clinical impact and level of arousal in subjects suffering from moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease when exposed to emotionally impactful music compared to control intervention.

In partnership with the study partner (a person who spends 10 hours or more a week with the subject and can reliably report on the subject's condition), three tunes will be chosen for the purposes of the study. The tunes chosen will need to be related to a past meaningful, positive experience of the subject, as determined by the subject and the subject's study partner. The pieces will be restricted in duration to between 1.5 and 2 minutes each. A piece will be chosen at random and will be saved on a portable device, and subjects will be asked to listen to the melody using high quality, over-ear headphones. The total exposure time will be 10 minutes each hour over a three-hour period. The melody will be repeated as many times as necessary to complete the 10-minute period. The control intervention will involve listening to nature sounds at the same duration and administration scheme. Functional magnetic resonance imaging will be used to identify how brain networks are modulated via exposure to this music and how they associate with the clinical findings.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Masking

SINGLE

Enrollment

Conditions

Alzheimer Disease Dementia Music Therapy

Interventions

Preferred MusicBEHAVIORAL

Participants will listen to selected music using over-ear headphones delivered as 10-minute segments at the top of each hour over the course of 3 hours

Nature SoundsBEHAVIORAL

Participants will listen to nature sounds using over-ear headphones delivered as 10-minute segments at the top of each hour over the course of 3 hours

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 55 YearsMax age: 90 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Provision of signed and dated informed consent form * Person of any sex/gender aged between 55 and 90 * Stated willingness to comply with all study procedures and availability for the duration of the study * In the opinion of the investigator, has an informant able and willing to provide accurate information about the participant (may be paid or unpaid caregiver) * Suffer from moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease as established by the study team using the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Diseases and Stroke/Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association (NINCDS-ADRDA) Alzheimer's Criteria for possible and probable Alzheimer's Disease * Diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease or other type of dementia as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-V) * Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) score of 5-20 * Subject is reported by the study partner to be able to listen to a minimum of 10 minutes of music and a sound in an uninterrupted manner. Exclusion Criteria: * Suffer from severe hearing impairment as reported by the informant * Presence of neuropsychiatric symptoms of dementia as determined by clinical observation by the Principal Investigator, including history of agitation and/or combative behavior. * Individuals who score ≥ 12 seconds on the Timed Up and Go (TUG) Test.

Locations (1)

Medical University of South Carolina

Charleston, South Carolina, United States

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Changes in Intervention Response as Evaluated by the Clinical Global Impression of Change (CGIC)

This is a 7-item score ranging from "markedly worse" to "markedly improved". It is assessed by the study clinician who interviews both participant and makes an informed judgment how to incorporate their input.

Time frame: Visit 1 (Day 14 +/- 3 days), Visit 2 (Day 21 +/- 3 days)

Secondary Outcomes

Change in Level of Arousal as Evaluated by the Stanford Sleepiness Scale (SSS)

Participants will provide a self-assessed scoring of their level of arousal on a scale of 1-7 ranging from "Feeling active, vital, alert, or wide awake" to "No longer fighting sleep, sleep onset soon; having dream-like thoughts".

Time frame: Visit 1 (Day 14 +/- 3 days), Visit 2 (Day 21 +/- 3 days)

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

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