Musical Dual Task Training to Improve Attention Control for Dementia

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

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.

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