Posted April 4, 2011
Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Laboratory and the Yamaha Music and Wellness Institute are collaborating on landmark research to determine if music can help people with mild Alzheimer’s-related dementia maintain their cognitive function.
Relatives of people with Alzheimer’s have long suggested anecdotally that their loved ones’ ability to recognize and remember the music of their earlier years remains even when other memories and skills have faded. The researchers plan to use a digital music composition tool to study patients’ neural regions and determine how and why music continues to speak to people with Alzheimer’s even when other abilities have deteriorated.
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