Musical Dual Task Training to Improve Attention Control for Dementia

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The purpose of this project is to determine if the Musical Dual Task Training program improves attention control that influences measures of gait performances under dual tasking, balance, fear of falling, and behavioral disturbance in patients with mild to moderate dementia. This Musical Dual Task Training protocol is structured with musical content and patients are required to do musical tasks including singing and playing instruments contingent on visual or auditory cues while walking. This paradigm is designed to include music making because it involves great demands on attention and memory that might elicit experience-dependent plasticity in the brain. Musical Dual Task Training is proposed to strengthen brain networking for attention control that consequently may improve the gait performances in patients with dementia, as indicated by reducing dual task cost on gait.

Official Title
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The Effects of Musical Dual Task Training on Attention Control and Associated Gait Stability of Patients With Mild to Moderate Dementia

Conditions
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Dementia

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Musical Dual Task Training
* Behavioral: Walking and Talking


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: a mild to moderate dementia diagnosis with Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) score: .5, 1, or 2 ability to walk 10 meters independently without the use of a walker or cane, or the assistance by another person Exclusion Criteria: other known neurologic disorders such as stroke or Parkinson's disease significant orthopedic, visual, and hearing impairment that hinders ambulation

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 55 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Treatment
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Musical Dual Task Training<br>60 minute individual session once a week across 2 months for a total of 8 sessions.Each session will be led by a qualified music therapist. Within the Musical Dual Task Training session, participant will be asked to sing familiar songs, play simple percussive musical instruments such as paddle drums and shakers, sing while walking, and play instruments while walking. | Behavioral: Musical Dual Task Training<br> <br> |
| Active Comparator: Walking and Talking<br>60 minute individual session once a week across 2 months for a total of 8 sessions.Each session will be led by a qualified music therapist. Within the walking and talking session, participant will be asked to read a newspaper article prior to a walk and have a conversation with the music therapist based on the content of the news while walking. | Behavioral: Walking and Talking<br> <br> |

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Change from Baseline on the Trail Making Test at 2 months | Trail Making Test Part A requires the participants to draw lines to connect a set of 25 circles as fast as possible following the sequential order of numbers (1,2,3…25) while still maintaining accuracy. Trail Making Test Part B is in a same format, but participants are required to alternates between numbers and letters (1, A, 2, B, etc.). The circles in Part B include both numbers (1 - 13) and letters (A - L). Results for both Part A and Part B are reported as the number of seconds required to complete the task. Higher scores indicate greater impairment. | Baseline and at 2 months | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Change from Baseline on Walking Speed during Dual tasking at 2 Months |  | Baseline and at 2 months | 
| Change from Baseline on the Timed Up-and-Go test at 2 Months |  | Baseline and 2 months | 
| Change from Baseline on the 7-item Short Falls Efficacy Scale International at 2 Months |  | Baseline and at 2 months | 
| Change from Baseline on the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory scale at 2 months |  | Baseline and at 2 months | 
| Change from Baseline on Stride Lengths during Dual Tasking at 2 Months |  | Baseline and at 2 months | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Musical Dual Task Training, dementia, attention control, dual task cost, gait stability