Evaluating the Effects of Music Interventions on Hospitalised People With Dementia
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ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00448318 |
Recruitment Status
: Unknown
Verified February 2007 by National Ageing Research Institute, Australia.
Recruitment status was: Not yet recruiting
First Posted
: March 16, 2007
Last Update Posted
: March 16, 2007
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Dementing syndromes are, for the most part, incurable. People with dementia become highly dependent and frequently have to move from their homes into residential aged care facilities.
Medications aimed at reducing the severity of a number of symptoms associated with the different types of dementia have had only modest success.
Increasingly, people with dementia, their families and carers are turning to supplementary or alternative approaches to the management of their symptoms. There are many published reports describing the successful use of music therapy in reducing the severity of many symptoms of dementia. These include reports of improved memory, improved language skills, reduced anxiety and depression, reductions in agitation and disruptive behaviours and better social relationships with family, peers and carers. However, the quality of evidence they provide for the most part fails meet the standards of evidence required by health care providers. This clinical trial will examine the effects of a music therapy intervention.
The study will recruit 180 patients in sub-acute hospital wards. Participants will be randomly placed in groups that receive either occupational therapy or music therapy. Before the therapy programs begin, we will use questionnaires to measure memory function, language ability, orientation and mood. We will also record brain activity from the surface of the scalp, blood pressure and pulse to examine physiological responses. The same measures will be repeated after the 3 weeks of therapy to determine whether there has been any improvement in the symptoms of the participants and whether the group that had music therapy showed greater improvement than the group that had occupational therapy. We will make a video recording during one therapy session to allow us to observe levels of engagement and to assess changes in facial expressions. This will provide information about the immediate effects of music on mood and social interaction. The information we collect about brain activity and blood pressure will help us to understand how music therapy might bring about changes in the symptoms of dementia. This understanding will be useful in developing better applications of music therapy. It will also add to our current knowledge about how the various diseases cause the problems they do.
In summary, the primary aim of the project is to determine whether the reported effects of music therapy are supported by objective evidence.
Condition or disease | Intervention/treatment | Phase |
---|---|---|
Dementia Alzheimer's Disease Dementia, Vascular Lewy Body Disease | Procedure: Music Therapy | Phase 2 Phase 3 |

Study Type : | Interventional (Clinical Trial) |
Enrollment : | 180 participants |
Allocation: | Randomized |
Intervention Model: | Parallel Assignment |
Masking: | Single |
Primary Purpose: | Treatment |
Official Title: | Evaluating the Effects of Music Interventions on Hospitalised People With Dementia |
Study Start Date : | March 2007 |
Study Completion Date : | October 2008 |

- Mini Mental State Examination: baseline cf. post intervention scores.
- Hierarchic Dementia Scale: baseline cf. post intervention scores.
- Geriatric Depression Scale: baseline cf. post intervention scores.
- Note: post intervention measures taken within 24 hours of final therapeutic intervention session
- EEG fast/slow ratio: baseline cf. post intervention scores.
- EEG Coherence: baseline cf. post intervention scores.
- EEG evoked potentials:baseline cf. post intervention scores.
- Note: post intervention measures taken within 24 hours of final therapeutic intervention session

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Ages Eligible for Study: | 60 Years and older (Adult, Senior) |
Sexes Eligible for Study: | All |
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | No |
Inclusion Criteria:
- Clinical diagnosis of dementia
Exclusion Criteria:
- delirium
- acute medical conditions (eg pneumonia, cardiac failure)
- primary psychiatric conditions (eg schizophrenia)
- severe hearing impairment

To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT00448318
Contact: Jonathan B Barber, PhD | +61 3 8387 2638 | b.barber@nari.unimelb.edu.au | |
Contact: John W Barlow, PhD | +61 3 83872296 | j.barlow@nari.unimelb.edu.au |
Australia, Victoria | |
National Ageing Research Institute | Not yet recruiting |
Parkville, Victoria, Australia, 3052 | |
Contact: John W Barlow, PhD +61 3 8387 2296 | |
Principal Investigator: Jonathan B Barber, PhD |
Principal Investigator: | Jonathan B Barber, PhD | National Ageing Research Institute |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT00448318 History of Changes |
Other Study ID Numbers: |
WKG_07_BB |
First Posted: | March 16, 2007 Key Record Dates |
Last Update Posted: | March 16, 2007 |
Last Verified: | February 2007 |
Keywords provided by National Ageing Research Institute, Australia:
Controlled clinical trial |
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Alzheimer Disease Dementia Lewy Body Disease Dementia, Vascular Brain Diseases Central Nervous System Diseases Nervous System Diseases Tauopathies Neurodegenerative Diseases Neurocognitive Disorders Mental Disorders |
Parkinsonian Disorders Basal Ganglia Diseases Movement Disorders Cerebrovascular Disorders Intracranial Arteriosclerosis Intracranial Arterial Diseases Leukoencephalopathies Arteriosclerosis Arterial Occlusive Diseases Vascular Diseases Cardiovascular Diseases |