The effect of music therapy on cognitive functions in patients with dementia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

ABSTRACT

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to meta-analyze the effect of music therapy (MT) on cognitive functions in patients with dementia.

Method: A systematic literature search was performed in Medline, PsycINFO, Embase, CINAHL and RILM up to 8 September 2016. We included all randomized controlled trials that compared MT with standard care, or other non-musical types of intervention, evaluating cognitive outcomes in patients with dementia. Outcomes included global cognition, complex attention, executive function, learning and memory, language, and perceptual-motor skills.

Results: From 1089 potentially relevant records, 110 studies were assessed for eligibility, and 7 met the inclusion criteria, of which 6 contained appropriate data for meta-analysis (330 participants, mean age range 78.8–86.3). Overall, random-effects meta-analyses suggested no significant effects of MT on all outcomes. Subgroup analysis found evidence of a beneficial effect of active MT on global cognition (SMD = 0.29, 95% CI 0.02 to 0.57, p = 0.04).

Conclusion: Despite the limited evidence of the present review, it is important to continue supporting MT as a complementary treatment for older adults with dementia. RCTs with larger sample sizes are needed to better elucidate the impact of MT on cognitive functions.

KEYWORDS:

• Dementia
• cognitive functioning
• music therapy
• meta-analysis

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge Dr. Enrico Ceccato, Dr. Alfredo Raglio, Prof. Teppo Särkämö, and Prof. Daniela Traficante for providing additional data for the meta-analysis. The authors also thank Prof. Stefan Koelsch, Prof. Pierluigi Politi, and all GAMUT researchers for expert advice during writing of the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

Laura Fusar-Poli, Łucja Bieleninik and Natascia Brondino report no conflict of interests. Xi-Jing Chen and Christian Gold are trained music therapists. The authors have indicated they have no financial relationships relevant to this article to disclosure.

Additional information

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.