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Table 1 Characteristics and main findings of studies included in the systematic review

From: The effect of music therapy on cognitive functions in patients with Alzheimer’s disease: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials

Study (author, year, country)

Study design

Number of participants

Sex

Mean age

MMSE, mean score at baseline

Description of intervention

Total number of sessions

Duration

Control group

Cognitive outcome measures

[29] Japan

RCT

39

21 females

79.25

4.65

AMI: Listen to music played on a CD player and clap, sing, or dance

RMI: Participants listen to music played on a CD player

10

10 weeks

Standard

Short-term: Faces Scale (p-value < 0.01)

Long-term: BEHAVE-AD (p-value < 0.025)

[26] France

RCT

48

32 females

87.1

10.2

AMI and RMI: Listening and participating by signing and/or by using percussion instruments to accompany the musical track

8

4 weeks

Cooking sessions

Cognitive abilities (SIB) (p-value = 0.2)

[34] Spain

RCT

42

28 females

77.5

15.02

AMI and RMI: Listening to the music played on a high-quality stereo and singing, moving arms and hands, or guessing the name of it

12

6 weeks

Standard

Global cognition (MMSE) (p-value < 0.001)

[33] France

RCT

59

23 females

78.8

25.07

AMI: Patients should sing previously chosen songs according to their preferences

12

3 months

Painting intervention

Verbal memory (FCRT) (p-value = 0.001), speed of information-processing and mental flexibility (TMT) (p-value = 0.12) working memory (symbol test and digit span test) (p-value = 0.001), speed of information-processing and inhibition (Stroop test) (p-value = 0.03), mental flexibility and verbal fluency (Letter and Category fluency tests) (p-value = 0.23/p-value = 0.37), cognitive dysexecutive syndrome (FAB) (p-value = 0.37)

[31] USA

RCT

53

46 females

60.47

N/A

RMI: Listening to 12 min of relaxing music of their choice

N/A

12 weeks

Kritan Kriya meditation program

Memory functioning (MFQ) (p-value = 0.007), executive function (TMT) (p-value = 0.006), psychomotor speed, attention, and working memory (DSST) (p-value = 0.04)

[30] China

RCT

298

57 females

69.7

13.26

AMI: Singing their familiar and favorite songs and if they fail they just listen (RMI)

N/A

3 months

Standard

Global cognition (MMSE), short-term and long-term memory (WHO-UCLA AVLT), language function (semantic verbal fluency test) (p-value < 0.05)

[35] China

RCT

60

38 females

69.8

17.63

RMI: Listening to songs chosen according to the patient’s pathogenic condition, education level, and personal preferences

N/A

3 months

Standard

Global cognition (MMSE and MoCA)

(MMSE: p-value = 0.003, MoCA p-value = 0.000)

[36] Spain

RCT

90

55 females

80.87

18.035

AMI: Participants keep rhythm by clapping hands, dancing or music quiz

RMI: Participants listen to music played on a CD player

12

3 months

Watching nature videos

Global cognition (MMSE)

(AMI: p-value < 0.001 RMI: p-value < 0.001)

  1. AMI active music intervention, RMI receptive music intervention, MMSE Mini-Mental State Examination, FCRT Free and Cued Recall Test, TMT Trail Making Test, FAB frontal assessment battery, WHO-UCLA AVLT World Health Organization University of California-Los Angeles Auditory Verbal Learning test, SIB severe impairment battery, MFQ Memory Functioning Questionnaire, DSST Digit Symbol Substitution Test, MoCA Montreal Cognitive Assessment