The effect of music therapy on cognitive functions in patients with dementia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
OBJECTIVES
The aim of the present study was to meta-analyze the effect of music therapy (MT) on cognitive functions in patients with dementia.


METHOD
A systematic literature search was performed in Medline, PsycINFO, Embase, CINAHL and RILM up to 8 September 2016. We included all randomized controlled trials that compared MT with standard care, or other non-musical types of intervention, evaluating cognitive outcomes in patients with dementia. Outcomes included global cognition, complex attention, executive function, learning and memory, language, and perceptual-motor skills.


RESULTS
From 1089 potentially relevant records, 110 studies were assessed for eligibility, and 7 met the inclusion criteria, of which 6 contained appropriate data for meta-analysis (330 participants, mean age range 78.8-86.3). Overall, random-effects meta-analyses suggested no significant effects of MT on all outcomes. Subgroup analysis found evidence of a beneficial effect of active MT on global cognition (SMD = 0.29, 95% CI 0.02 to 0.57, p = 0.04).


CONCLUSION
Despite the limited evidence of the present review, it is important to continue supporting MT as a complementary treatment for older adults with dementia. RCTs with larger sample sizes are needed to better elucidate the impact of MT on cognitive functions.
['Fusar-Poli|Laura|L|0000-0002-5847-6947', 'Bieleninik|Łucja|Ł|', 'Brondino|Natascia|N|', 'Chen|Xi-Jing|XJ|', 'Gold|Christian|C|']
D003704:Dementia D006801:Humans D009147:Music Therapy D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care
music therapy cognitive functioning Dementia meta-analysis