Is Music Special for People With Dementia?

Multitudes of studies support that musical interventions in people with dementia positively affect various domains of their well-being—emotional, cognitive, and behavioral—and also reduce the distress of caregivers. However, the mechanisms underlying these effects remain unclear. This chapter proposes that rhythmic entrainment induced by listening to music, including movements synchronized with musical rhythms, might contribute to the efficacy of music-based interventions for people living with dementia. After reviewing the influence of rhythmic entrainment on motor, cognition, emotion, and social functioning, evidence obtained in dementia research is provided to support this hypothesis. Actions aligned to rhythmic sounds can be modulated by the presence of a partner, and more generally by the social environment, suggesting a link between synchronization to musical rhythm and interpersonal coordination. Finally, a method to measure rhythmic entrainment in people with dementia is presented for use in future researches to increase the intervention efficacy in pathological aging.