A Pilot Study on the effects of Music Therapy on Frontotemporal Dementia - developing a research protocol

Background: Some forms of dementia particularly affect the frontal parts of the brain which, in some cases, causes the onset of severe behavioural and psychological symptoms. No specific treatment for the primary diseases that cause these frontotemporal dementia conditions has yet been developed, and pharmacological treatment of the psychiatric symptoms is difficult, requiring specialist proficiency in the field. Pilot study: As there is not yet sufficient research that examines the effects of non-pharmacologic treatment with this group there is a need to develop valid and reliable research protocols. As an example of a non-pharmacologic treatment procedure music therapy was investigated. With the focus to develop a research protocol for a future larger population study a pilot study was carried out. In two case studies a combination of data collection methods were examined with the overall goal to document changes in intersubjectivity. In this pilot testing there was a specific interest in selecting a relevant and manageable dementia specific instrument for measuring quality of life and relating it with other instruments. Following three instruments were tested: the Altzheimers Disease-Related Quality of Life (ADRQL), the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CMAI), and the Neuro-Psychiatric Inventory (NPI), and related to case descriptions and video analyses. Results: Recommendations for a mixed method research protocol focused on measuring the effect of music therapy with persons with frontotemporal dementia are presented.