Melodies of the Alzheimer's Disease: music therapy as a treatment

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease (AD) has a recognized impact worldwide and its available pharmacological treatments have several limitations. Therefore, it is important to find out-of-the-box solutions and critically evaluate them. The purpose of this review was to search for and summarize the potentialities of music therapy (MT) in the management of AD patients suffering from dementia. The data source was PubMed, searched for researches and reviews with no year limiters set and published in the English language. Many benefits come from the use of music in patients with dementia of AD. MT can ameliorate symptoms, especially the ones associated with problems in daily care. After MT sessions, memory impairment, depression, psychosis, behavior changes and decline in cognitive functions, such as language, improved, especially in a shorter-term perspective. Other aspects including quality of life and social interaction amended in several settings. Methodological heterogeneity and lack of information on the mechanism of MT contributes to a low evidence on the topic. Due to the symptoms' nature, there should be developed additional strategies to perceive changes and relational effects when assessing outcomes. MT is a multidisciplinary approach still characterized by inconsistencies and gaps, but on its way to becoming a more systematic treatment, towards a strengthened scientific basis and a strong evidence-based therapy.