Music And Dementia

With the creation of new technologies such as fMRI, researchers have been able to pinpoint specific areas of the brain and when these areas become activated. This advance in technology has proven the ways that music activates parts of the brain differently. Recently, a growing number of researchers have published studies regarding music and the ways it works within the brain. Among these studies exist topics from childhood development to stress management to recovery for severe burn patients and how music can work for them. This research has proven that music can aid in memory, mood, and recovery in patients suffering from mental or physical ailments. More specifically, patients with dementia experience certain symptoms such as memory loss and disorientation. …show more content…
Researchers typically hypothesize that music therapy will either create some effect in the patients or that it will help the patients regain some control over their memories and personalities. This review will cover different cases of dementia found in elderly patients and its treatment using music therapy interventions. This review will compare different empirical studies completed on the effectiveness of music therapy in general, patients with dementia, and studies that test the effectiveness of music therapy use in dementia cases. The overall goal is to collect these conclusions of preexisting research completed in these areas in order to analyze dementia and how music therapy can relieve the associated