Verification of Preventive Effect of Dual-Task and N-Back Task- Incorporated Music Therapy against Dementia

Abstract

Introduction: Alzheimer's dementia (AD) is the most dominant (more than 60%) in the whole dementia and the incidence of AD for people at age 65 years or older becomes twice with an increase in age by 5 years, so the development of countermeasures against it is an urgent issue. For improving cognitive functions, the effectiveness of dual-task (a task for which two different things are performed at the same time) and that of n-back task (a task for which delayed recall of a thing performed at n times ago is carried out) have been verified. In addition, we have also verified that distress has negative effects on cognitive functions. Hence, we started dual-task-and n-back task-incorporated intervention geared toward elderly people living in Kashihara-city. In this method, music therapy was adopted for the distress reduction and the eustress enhancement. The purposes of this study are to verify the preventive effect against dementia by the dual-task-and n-back task-incorporated music therapy and to measure the effect of music therapy on the distress reduction. In this study, the intervention group and the control group were compared during the intervention for three months. Methods:A screening test for mild cognitive impairment was carried out with Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA test). Stress check was performed by collecting sublingual saliva and measuring α-amylase. Analysis was conducted with t-test corresponding to the comparison between the intervention group and the control group. Results:The intervention group showed significant improvement of cognitive functions and a decrease in distress, compared to the control group. Conclusion:The dual-task-and n-back task-incorporated music therapy improved cognitive functions and reduced distress. To verify this repeatedly to refine the technique and to accumulate effective programs are our future tasks.

The effect of cognitive dance therapy as dementia prevention

“…Through assigning robots with such screening, it becomes easier to monitor the elderly's cognitive function in their home and facilities, allowing for a more systematic approach to dementia prevention. It would thus be ideal if robots can be used to mitigate stress and prevent depression through therapeutic exercises such as dance [5] and brain training [15,16]. Furthermore, we also found that intervention by robots fostered exchanges among participants and created a harmonious atmosphere.…”

“…Furthermore, in preliminary testing, we examined delayed playback task and the validity of dual-task [15,16], and developed cognitive dance therapy to add delayed playback task and dual task as part of brain training [5]. If robots are able to perform health-care functions as outlined above, the societal benefits would be enormous.…”

Stress Monitoring and Recent Advancements in Wearable Biosensors

“…The sympathetic adrenal medullary (SAM) axis is activated by the hypothalamus to stimulate a sympathetic nervous system response, which then stimulates the adrenal medulla to produce epinephrine and norepinephrine ( Antoun et al, 2017 ). The release of norepinephrine is then responsible for the synthesis and release of alpha-amylase ( Sawami et al, 2017 ).…”

Cognitive ability and psychological effectiveness of brain training dance robot therapy for elderly people

“…Robots can be used to mitigate stress [14], deter dementia and depression and aid in therapeutic exercises, thus providing a large benefits to the elderly, their family and health-care providers. Furthermore in preliminary testing, we examined delayed playback task and the validity of dual task [15,16], and developed cognitive-dance therapy to add delayed playback task and dual task as part of brain training [5]. If robots are able to perform health-care functions as outlined above, the societal benefits would be enormous.…”