Synchronization with music in patients with Alzheimer’s Disease in different social and emotional contexts

It is known that music can enhance emotional and verbal communication in individuals who have difficultly doing so. Additionally, it has also been established that music is strongly linked to and can stimulate motor areas in the brain, and may potentially be an interesting aid to motor learning. The overarching goal of the project is to seek to discover the influence of music in individuals with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). The knowledge gained here is imperative to administer music intervention which targets emotional wellbeing, communication skills, and implicit motor skills that can increase the autonomy of patients. Specifically, the proposed research will investigate the effect of auditory context (music or metronome sequence), social context (real or virtual presence of an examiner) and emotional cues on: motor synchronization to music; and non-verbal communication in AD patients. TO BE CONT’D

Faculty Supervisor:

Jessica Grahn

Student:

Partner:

Université Charles de Gaulle (Lille-III)

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

University:

Western University

Program:

Globalink Research Award