Music Therapy Improves the Symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia: A Magnetoencephalography Study of Cognitively Intense Music Therapy Doctor

This thesis synthesises research of neural activation, ageing, and dementia, and builds a plausible theory for how music therapy can improve symptoms of dementia. This synthesis leads to predictions of how music therapy interventions target cognitive processes to improve dementia symptoms. Six participants with dementia completed eight-weeks of music therapy that involved working memory tasks and pre- and post-therapy neuroimaging. Working memory improved and neural activation changed in the dementia group. Music therapy is a viable short-term intervention that targets cognitive processes and could be a long-term intervention that incorporates positive modifiable lifestyle factors protecting the brain from dementia.