Music therapy for Alzheimer's disease management: a narrative review

Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder, is escalating globally. Characterized by cognitive decline, emotional instability, and neuropsychiatric symptoms, AD presents a growing challenge for effective management. Current pharmaceutical treatments, primarily acetylcholinesterase inhibitors and memantine, offer symptomatic relief but fail to halt disease progression or significantly address psychiatric manifestations. Consequently, non-pharmacological interventions, particularly music therapy, have garnered attention as potential adjunctive treatments. Musical memory is regarded as completely distinct from other memory processes, and patients with AD retain some musical recall despite the significant cognitive decline. In addition, music therapy is well-tolerated by the vast majority of patients and easy to administer. Herein, the mechanisms of music as a memory enhancer, how musical memory is preserved in AD, active and passive music therapy methods and their effects on each function, and factors affecting the efficacy of music therapy, such as music selection and genre, are discussed. Additional research is required to determine the optimal duration of music therapy sessions for patients to experience long-term benefits. In addition, as patients in severe stages cannot participate fully in music therapy sessions due to their disability, additional research finding a solution to this issue would be helpful.