K01AG088475

Impact of improvisation music therapy for persons living with dementia and their care partners - Abstract

Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD) affect more than 6 million adults over 65, with family members providing most of the care for persons living with dementia (PLWD).

During AD progression, behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), like agitation, anxiety, and depression, are common.

This can lead to stress and depression among care partners.

Thus, interventions must be developed to aid both members of the PLWD-care partner dyad.

Music-based interventions are effective, non-pharmacological treatments that reduce BPSD in PLWD and care partner stress.

However, most existing music-based interventions target only the PLWD or the care partner, but not both dyad members simultaneously.

Improvisation music therapy is a type of music therapy that uses creative and meaningful musical exchanges to move patients toward emotionally desirable states.

Improvisation music therapy promotes rapid and novel idea generation, emotional awareness, and execution of unplanned motor sequences.

For these reasons, improvisation music therapy may be able to reduce stress through emotion regulation in PLWD-care partner dyads.

The candidate’s long-term goal is to become an independent investigator who examines mechanisms by which music-based interventions improve health and well-being among PLWD and their care partners.

For this career development award, the candidate’s short-term goal is to investigate the impact of an improvisation MT intervention prototype on behavior change (BPSD reduction in the PLWD, increased well-being and decreased burden in the caregiver) through stress reduction.

The proposed research project aims to 1) standardize an improvisation music therapy intervention prototype for the PLWD-care partner dyad, 2) evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of this intervention, and 3) complete a pilot study to examine whether stress reduction and emotional regulation are potential mechanisms for positive behavior change.

This K01 project combines a rigorous research program, mentorship, and didactic goals.

The career training goals will help the candidate acquire: 1) content expertise in ADRD, 2) knowledge about behavioral intervention standardization using the NIH stage model, NIH science of behavioral change, and mixed methods design, 3) content expertise in dementia caregiving, 4) experience on rigorous clinical trial design, analysis, and management, and 5) academic leadership and research skills necessary for becoming an independent academic researcher.

At the project's conclusion, the proposal will have standardized a novel intervention prototype for PLWD-caregiver dyads based on improvisation music therapy.

The pilot study will expand knowledge of how and why music therapy facilitates well-being for both PLWD and care partners.

These results will inform a future R01 to conduct a powered, randomized clinical trial of music-based interventions to improve emotion and well-being outcomes in PLWD-care partner dyads that may ultimately lead to long-term, downstream effects such as improved quality of life.

San Francisco Regents Of The University Of California

NOT APPLICABLE

93.866 - Aging Research

National Institute on Aging (NIA) [HHS - NIH]

San Francisco, California 941432510 United States

Single Zip Code

Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (Parent K01 - Independent Clinical Trial Required) (PA-24-175)

Amendment Since initial award the total obligations have increased 100% from $131,568 to $263,136.