Music for Pain and Dementia

Summary

This study aims to provide mechanistic insights into how group drumming as a music-based intervention (MBI) affects pain responses and nociceptive function in individuals with Alzheimer's Disease (AD), mild dementia or mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV), and brain activity will be measured during communal drumming with their dyadic partners and others. Brain activity, blood pressure, cognitive abilities, blood hormone levels, and static and dynamic pain will also be measured during sessions pre and post the 8-week community drum circle. Investigators will leverage various measurement techniques including, but not limited to, electroencephalography (EEG), quantitative sensory testing (QST), behavioral, surveys, and physiological monitoring to study the impact of group drumming on pain and brain activity in AD and inter-dyad synchrony.

Conditions

• Alzheimer Disease
• Dementia
• Mild Cognitive Impairment
• Peer-bonded Caregiver
• Caregiver

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Drumming session

A 45-minute to 1-hour group drumming session

BEHAVIORAL

Music-listening session

A 45-minute to 1-hour group music-listening session

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Renée Fleming Foundation

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Yale University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Howard University

  collaborator OTHER

• NeuroArts Blueprint Initiative

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)

  collaborator NIH

• Yale University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• AZA Allsop, MD, PhD · Yale University

Study Design

Allocation

NON_RANDOMIZED

Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

50 Years

Max Age

80 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2026-06-01

Primary Completion

2027-08-01

Completion

2028-02-01

Countries

• United States

Study Locations