Art Therapy and Music Reminiscence Activity in the Prevention of Cognitive Decline

Art Therapy and Music Reminiscence Activity in the Prevention of Cognitive Decline

The objective of this study is to determine the impact of Art Therapy and Music Reminiscence Activity on cognition in community living elderly with Mild Cognitive Impairment (DSM V: Mild Neurocognitive Disorder) using a randomized control design.

Specifically, the structural cerebral changes that occur with the two interventions and the extent to which the therapies may reverse cognitive impairment and/or prevent further cognitive decline, will be determined.

The hypothesis is that participants in both active intervention arms will perform better on neuropsychological tests of cognition and will show positive changes on functional imaging studies compared to controls who will not receive any intervention. Participants in the interventions will also have positive changes in blood biomarkers, enhanced psychological well-being and reductions in anxiety and depressive symptoms compared to the control group. No a priori hypotheses were developed as to whether Art Therapy or Music Reminiscence Activity is more effective as the comparison is exploratory.

Participants: 90 community-living elderly, with mild cognitive impairment.

Interventions: Participants will be randomized into 3 arms: Art Therapy, Music Reminiscence Activity or a Control arm. Sessions will be conducted weekly for 3 months and fortnightly for 6 months. Each intervention session will last for 40 minutes. The Control group will not receive any intervention and continue their life as usual.

Assessments: Demographic data will be collected at baseline. Neuropsychological tests of cognitive functioning will be done at baseline, 3 months and 9 months. Anxiety and depressive symptoms will be assessed at the 3 time-points. Blood sampling will occur at all time points (except control group, only at baseline and 9 months). Participants will also undergo a task-free brain fMRI scan at baseline and at 3 months.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Older person between 60 and 85 years of age, living in the community and fulfills the operational criteria/definition of MCI:

  1. At least one age-education adjusted neuropsychological test Z score <-1.5
  2. Do not meet DSM V criteria for a Major Neurocognitive Disorder
  3. Memory/Cognitive complaint preferably corroborated by a reliable informant
  4. Intact Activities of Daily Living

• Functions independently

• Does not have dementia

• Able to travel to the data collection site on their own and participate in the activity

Exclusion Criteria:

• Those who do not meet the above inclusion criteria (ie. do not have a MCI diagnosis)
• Those with Dementia/Major Neurocognitive Disorder or Normal Ageing
• Presence of a neurological condition e.g. epilepsy, Parkinson Disease, stroke
• Presence of a major psychiatric disorder e.g. Major Depression, Psychoses
• Terminal illness e.g. cancer
• Presence of significant visual and/or hearing impairment and Color Blindness
• Participants in another intervention study at the same time