Music for Alzheimer's and Dementia
(Music4Pain Trial)
What You Need to Know Before You Apply
What is the purpose of this trial?
This study aims to provide mechanistic insights into how group drumming as a music-based intervention (MBI) affects pain responses and nociceptive function in individuals with Alzheimer's Disease (AD), mild dementia or mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV), and brain activity will be measured during communal drumming with their dyadic partners and others. Brain activity, blood pressure, cognitive abilities, blood hormone levels, and static and dynamic pain will also be measured during sessions pre and post the 8-week community drum circle. Investigators will leverage various measurement techniques including, but not limited to, electroencephalography (EEG), quantitative sensory testing (QST), behavioral, surveys, and physiological monitoring to study the impact of group drumming on pain and brain activity in AD and inter-dyad synchrony.
Who Is on the Research Team?
AZA Allsop, MD, PhD
Principal Investigator
Yale University
Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?
This trial is for people with early Alzheimer's, mild dementia, or mild cognitive impairment who have ongoing non-cancer pain lasting over 3 months and affects daily life. Caregivers of such individuals can also join. Participants must be able to consent and willing to take part in various tests and recordings.Inclusion Criteria
Timeline for a Trial Participant
Screening
Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial
Baseline Assessment
Participants undergo deep phenotyping of pain using QST, blood sampling, brain activity recordings, and psychometric assessments
Intervention
Participants engage in weekly drumming sessions or music-listening activities, with heart data and psychometric surveys collected
Post-Intervention Assessment
Participants undergo post-intervention assessments including physiological, bloodwork, communication/language, pain sensitivity, and survey data collection
Follow-up
Participants are monitored for changes in pain perception, brain activity, and psychological symptoms
What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?
Interventions
- Group Drumming
- Music-listening session
Trial Overview
The study compares group drumming sessions with music-listening sessions to see how they affect pain levels, brain activity, heart rate, and mood in people with memory problems or their caregivers over an 8-week period.
How Is the Trial Designed?
2
Treatment groups
Experimental Treatment
Each participant pair will take part in ten weekly sessions. All sessions will last up to 3 hours. During Week 1, participants will have physiological, bloodwork, communication/language, pain sensitivity, and survey data collected to assess baseline levels of brain activity, heart rate, blood hormones, cognition, dynamic pain, and psychological symptoms. In Weeks 2 through 9, participants will participate in a 45-minute to 1-hour music-listening session during which investigators will collect heart data. Psychometric survey data will be collected before and after each session. During Week 10, participants will have physiological, bloodwork, communication/language, pain sensitivity, and survey data collected to assess post-intervention levels of brain activity, heart rate, blood hormones, cognition, dynamic pain, and psychological symptoms.
Each participant pair will take part in ten weekly sessions. All sessions will last up to 3 hours. During Week 1, participants will have physiological, bloodwork, communication/language, pain sensitivity, and survey data collected to assess baseline levels of brain activity, heart rate, blood hormones, cognition, dynamic pain, and psychological symptoms. In Weeks 2 through 9, participants will participate in a 45-minute to 1-hour drumming session during which investigators will collect heart data. Psychometric survey data will be collected before and after each session. During Week 10, participants will have physiological, bloodwork, communication/language, pain sensitivity, and survey data collected to assess post-intervention levels of brain activity, heart rate, blood hormones, cognition, dynamic pain, and psychological symptoms.
Find a Clinic Near You
Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?
Yale University
Lead Sponsor
NeuroArts Blueprint Initiative
Collaborator
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)
Collaborator
Renée Fleming Foundation
Collaborator
Yale University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry
Collaborator
Howard University
Collaborator
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