Cognitive, Motor and Social Factors of Music Instrument Training Programs for Older Adults' Improved Wellbeing

Hierarchical syntax model of music predicts theta power during music listening

Linguistic research showed that the depth of syntactic embedding is reflected in brain theta power. Here, we test whether this also extends to non-linguistic stimuli, specifically music. We used a hierarchical model of musical syntax to continuously quantify two types of expert-annotated harmonic dependencies throughout a piece of Western classical music: prolongation and preparation. Prolongations can roughly be understood as a musical analogue to linguistic coordination between constituents that share the same function (e.g., 'pizza' and 'pasta' in 'I ate pizza and pasta'). Preparation refers to the dependency between two harmonies whereby the first implies a resolution towards the second (e.g., dominant towards tonic; similar to how the adjective implies the presence of a noun in 'I like spicy … '). Source reconstructed MEG data of sixty-five participants listening to the musical piece was then analysed. We used Bayesian Mixed Effects models to predict theta envelope in the brain, using the number of open prolongation and preparation dependencies as predictors whilst controlling for audio envelope. We observed that prolongation and preparation both carry independent and distinguishable predictive value for theta band fluctuation in key linguistic areas such as the Angular, Superior Temporal, and Heschl's Gyri, or their right-lateralised homologues, with preparation showing additional predictive value for areas associated with the reward system and prediction. Musical expertise further mediated these effects in language-related brain areas. Results show that predictions of precisely formalised music-theoretical models are reflected in the brain activity of listeners which furthers our understanding of the perception and cognition of musical structure.

Arts and creativity interventions for improving health and wellbeing in older adults: a systematic literature review of economic evaluation studies

BACKGROUND

As the population ages, older people account for a larger proportion of the health and social care budget. A significant body of evidence suggests that arts and creativity interventions can improve the physical, mental and social wellbeing of older adults, however the value and/or cost-effectiveness of such interventions remains unclear.

METHODS

We systematically reviewed the economic evidence relating to such interventions, reporting our findings according to PRISMA guidelines. We searched bibliographic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, Econlit and Web of Science and NHSEED), trial registries and grey literature. No language or temporal restrictions were applied. Two screening rounds were conducted independently by health economists experienced in systematic literature review. Methodological quality was assessed, and key information extracted and tabulated to provide an overview of the published literature. A narrative synthesis without meta-analysis was conducted.

RESULTS

Only six studies were identified which provided evidence relating to the value or cost-effectiveness of arts and creativity interventions to improve health and wellbeing in older adults. The evidence which was identified was encouraging, with five out of the six studies reporting an acceptable probability of cost-effectiveness or positive return on investment (ranging from £1.20 to over £8 for every £1 of expenditure). However, considerable heterogeneity was observed with respect to study participants, design, and outcomes assessed. Of particular concern were potential biases inherent in social value analyses.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite many studies reporting positive health and wellbeing benefits of arts and creativity interventions in this population, we found meagre evidence on their value or cost-effectiveness. Such evidence is costly and time-consuming to generate, but essential if innovative non-pharmacological interventions are to be introduced to minimise the burden of illness in this population and ensure efficient use of public funds. The findings from this review suggests that capturing data on the value and/or cost-effectiveness of such interventions should be prioritised; furthermore, research effort should be directed to developing evaluative methods which move beyond the confines of current health technology assessment frameworks, to capture a broader picture of 'value' more applicable to arts and creativity interventions and public health interventions more generally.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION

CRD42021267944 (14/07/2021).

Thematic Contents of Mental Imagery are Shaped by Concurrent Task-Irrelevant Music

Imagination plays a key role in evidence-based, cognitive therapies, and recent research highlights that music - a perceptual stimulus imbued with affective and social meaning - can influence some aspects of imagination, such as vividness and emotional tone. However, little is known about music's capability to facilitate specific imagery themes that may be relevant for therapy. Here, we examine whether the quantity and quality (related to themes of affect, social dynamics, and confidence) of people's imagery is affected by the presence of task-irrelevant background music. One hundred participants imagined the continuation of a figure's journey while listening to different musical excerpts or silence. Written reports of imagined journeys underwent linguistic analysis to reveal the number of words belonging to the themes of interest. Bayesian Mixed Effects models revealed that music (vs. silence) led to longer reports and predicted imagery characterised by affect, social dynamics, and confidence. Implications for therapy are discussed.

Aging of Amateur Singers and Non-singers: From Behavior to Resting-state Connectivity

Healthy aging is associated with extensive changes in brain structure and physiology, with impacts on cognition and communication. The "mental exercise hypothesis" proposes that certain lifestyle factors such as singing-perhaps the most universal and accessible music-making activity-can affect cognitive functioning and reduce cognitive decline in aging, but the neuroplastic mechanisms involved remain unclear. To address this question, we examined the association between age and resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) in 84 healthy singers and nonsingers in five networks (auditory, speech, language, default mode, and dorsal attention) and its relationship to auditory cognitive aging. Participants underwent cognitive testing and fMRI. Our results show that RSFC is not systematically lower with aging and that connectivity patterns vary between singers and nonsingers. Furthermore, our results show that RSFC of the precuneus in the default mode network was associated with auditory cognition. In these regions, lower RSFC was associated with better auditory cognitive performance for both singers and nonsingers. Our results show, for the first time, that basic brain physiology differs in singers and nonsingers and that some of these differences are associated with cognitive performance.

Emotional cherry picking: the role of personality and goal orientation in selective emotion regulation for musical practice

Introduction

Emotion regulation is an important part of optimising performance and successful goal pursuit in practice-based tasks such as making music. Musicians may regulate their own emotions during the course of their musical practice in order to improve their performance and ultimately attain their practice-related goals. The specific emotions they target may depend upon their personality traits but may also relate to the nature of their goal orientation, and the interaction between the two. This study investigates whether the emotions desired by musicians in their musical practice were dependent on their personality traits and Mastery goal orientation (the desire to master musical and technical skills).

Methods

Via an online questionnaire, 421 musicians completed a personality scale and answered questions relating to their mastery practice goals. They also completed emotion scales indicating how strongly they desired to increase or decrease the intensity of specific emotions when practicing.

Results

Overall, musicians preferred to up-regulate positive rather than negative emotions [paired t(420) = 58.13, p < 0.001]. Bayesian Mixed Effects models showed that personality traits affected musicians' desire to regulate specific emotions. For example, higher levels of Agreeableness predicted greater desire to increase positive but not negative emotions, whereas Extraversion predicted greater desire to increase anger [Est. = 0.05, SE = 0.03, Odds (Est. > 0) = 43.03] but not positive emotions. The inclusion of Mastery goal orientation either amplified or mitigated these effects in several cases, and also introduced new trait-emotion relationships. Findings confirm a general hedonic principle underlying the emotions musicians desired in their musical practice. However, predicted by personality traits, musicians also sometimes sought to increase the intensity of unpleasant emotions.

Discussion

These findings complement existing research that suggests that some Mastery-oriented musicians may seek an emotional state consisting of both positive and negative emotions. This and future studies on this topic may contribute to a better understanding of individual differences in emotion regulation ability as a potential aspect of individualised musical practice strategies.

Playing a musical instrument and the risk of dementia among older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies

Background

Engaging in leisure activities was suggested to protect older adults from dementia. However, the association between playing a musical instrument and the risk of dementia is not well-established. This study aimed to investigate this association in older adults using a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies.

Methods

Pooled hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of having dementia for older adults playing a musical instrument were calculated using the random-effects model. We performed the I² statistic to detect heterogeneity across studies and the test for funnel plot asymmetry to assess publication bias. The risk of bias assessment was conducted using the modified Newcastle–Ottawa Scale.

Results

A total of three prospective cohort studies were found eligible: two from the U.S. and one from Japan. Playing a musical instrument, in the meta-analysis, was significantly associated with a decreased risk of dementia (HR = 0.64; 95% CI: 0.41, 0.98) among older adults. No signs of significant heterogeneity across studies (I² = 23.3% and p-heterogeneity = 0.27) or publication bias (z= -1.3 and p-publication bias = 0.18) were identified.

Conclusion

Playing a musical instrument was associated with a decreased risk of dementia among older adults. Older adults should be encouraged to engage in leisure activities, especially playing musical instruments.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12883-022-02902-z.

Rhythm and Music-Based Interventions in Motor Rehabilitation: Current Evidence and Future Perspectives

Research in basic and clinical neuroscience of music conducted over the past decades has begun to uncover music’s high potential as a tool for rehabilitation. Advances in our understanding of how music engages parallel brain networks underpinning sensory and motor processes, arousal, reward, and affective regulation, have laid a sound neuroscientific foundation for the development of theory-driven music interventions that have been systematically tested in clinical settings. Of particular significance in the context of motor rehabilitation is the notion that musical rhythms can entrain movement patterns in patients with movement-related disorders, serving as a continuous time reference that can help regulate movement timing and pace. To date, a significant number of clinical and experimental studies have tested the application of rhythm- and music-based interventions to improve motor functions following central nervous injury and/or degeneration. The goal of this review is to appraise the current state of knowledge on the effectiveness of music and rhythm to modulate movement spatiotemporal patterns and restore motor function. By organizing and providing a critical appraisal of a large body of research, we hope to provide a revised framework for future research on the effectiveness of rhythm- and music-based interventions to restore and (re)train motor function.

Engaging in musical activities and the risk of dementia in older adults: A longitudinal study from the Japan gerontological evaluation study

AIM

Leisure cognitive activities are suggested to reduce the risk of dementia. Herein, we aimed to investigate the prospective association between engaging in different musical activities and the risk of dementia among Japanese older adults.

METHODS

Longitudinal data of 52 601 participants aged ≥65 years from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study were analyzed. Musical activities in the form of playing a musical instrument, practicing karaoke and choir or folk singing were assessed using a questionnaire, while dementia was diagnosed using the standardized dementia scale of the long-term care insurance system. The Cox regression was used to obtain the hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for incident dementia according to engagement in musical activities.

RESULTS

Compared with engaging in no musical activities at all, the hazard ratios engaging in one and more than one musical activity, after 5.8 years of a median follow-up period, were 0.94 (95% CI 0.82-1.07) and 0.59 (95% CI 0.32-1.10) in men versus 0.79 (95% CI 0.69-0.90) and 0.89 (95% CI 0.63-1.26) in women, respectively. Playing a musical instrument and practicing karaoke, compared with no musical activities at all, were associated with a faintly decreased risk of dementia in men and a significantly decreased risk of dementia in women; hazard ratios 0.70 (95% CI 0.45-1.02) and 0.90 (95% CI 0.79, 1.04) in men versus 0.75 (95% CI 0.58-0.98) and 0.77 (95% CI 0.68-0.89) in women, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Engaging in musical activities, especially playing a musical instrument and practicing karaoke, was associated with a reduced risk of dementia among Japanese older women. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2021; 21: 451-457.

New musical interfaces for older adults in residential care: assessing a user-centred design approach

Purpose:For older adults in aged-care, group music-making can bring numerous physical and psychological benefits, ultimately improving their quality of life. However, personalising music-making to optimise these benefits is often difficult given their diverse ages, experiences, abilities, cognitive and motor skills, and their experience with music technology.Materialsandmethods:In this study, we conducted a 10-week group music-making intervention with twenty participants in an aged-care home, using a prototype digital musical instrument that we iteratively refined by following a user-centred design approach from direct resident feedback. The prototype instrument adopted a novel method for errorless learning in music-making settings, which we also refined, by increasing the difficulty level of the instrument's operation. We also assessed the residents' engagement with the sessions by obtaining feedback from caregivers and facilitators.Results:Results show that residents' enjoyment decreased as the complexity (difficulty) of our errorless learning implementation increased. We also found that resident engagement increased when changes to the prototype digital musical instrument were provided, but not when residents were giving feedback. Results also found that participation over the course of the intervention, and the number of songs played during each session also enhanced engagement.Conclusions: Overall, our results show the intervention was beneficial to residents, although we note some areas of enhancement for further interventions in designing prototype musical instruments for group music-making in aged-care settings. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONOlder adults positively engage with novel music technology, and do so increasingly over subsequent sessions. Repeated sessions may have the potential to enhance longer-term adoption of technologies as well as any rehabilitative effects of the group music-making activity.There is significant potential for residents with different abilities to all make music together, although to maximise the sustainability of the devices, the sessions, and the subsequent rehabilitative benefits, residents must be given the right adaptation for individual interfaces that balances ambition and ability.Rapid DMI prototyping positively enhances engagement among older adults, suggesting that in the case of a custom DMI, an upgrade schedule should be aligned with key rehabilitative milestones. Similarly, in the case of pre-developed digital music systems, resident exposure to new features or functionality should be strategically introduced, so as to maximise engagement for key phases of resident rehabilitation.

Eficacia de los programas de musicoterapia: un metanálisis cualitativo

Resumen El aumento de enfermedades transmisibles justifica la necesidad de verificar la eficacia no farmacológica de los tratamientos alternativos. La música promueve las interacciones sociales y el trabajo en grupo, ayuda en varios aspectos del aprendizaje humano, la emoción y la memoria, y puede convertirse en una herramienta terapéutica complementaria. El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar la evidencia de la eficacia de la musicoterapia como tratamiento no farmacológico mediante un diseño descriptivo retrospectivo utilizando como parámetros de búsqueda: “musicoterapia” o “programas musicales” y “salud” en las bases de datos Scopus y Web of Science. Entre los principales resultados, destacamos que los programas de intervención que utilizan la música como tratamiento coadyuvante no farmacológico en enfermedades no transmisibles ofrecen resultados positivos y significativos sobre la mejora de las patologías en las que interviene. A partir de estos resultados, sería importante ampliar la formación de los profesionales de la salud en la aplicación de técnicas basadas en el arte y específicamente en la musicoterapia.