A nonmusician with severe Alzheimer's dementia learns a new song. Issue 1 (2nd January 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Baird, Amee; Umbach, Heidi; Thompson, William Forde
• Is Part Of: Neurocase. Volume 23:Issue 1(2017)
• Page Start: 36
• Page End: 40
• Publication Date: 2017-01-02
• Subjects: Music -- singing -- memory -- Alzheimer's Dementia; Neurology -- Periodicals; Neuropsychology -- Case Report; Mental Disorders -- Case Report; Nervous System Diseases -- Case Report; 616.8
• DOI: 10.1080/13554794.2017.1287278
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1355-4794

Abstract

ABSTRACT: The hallmark symptom of Alzheimer's Dementia (AD) is impaired memory, but memory for familiar music can be preserved. We explored whether a non-musician with severe AD could learn a new song. A 91 year old woman (NC) with severe AD was taught an unfamiliar song. We assessed her delayed song recall (24 hours and 2 weeks), music cognition, two word recall (presented within a familiar song lyric, a famous proverb, or as a word stem completion task), and lyrics and proverb completion. NC's music cognition (pitch and rhythm perception, recognition of familiar music, completion of lyrics) was relatively preserved. She recalled 0/2 words presented in song lyrics or proverbs, but 2/2 word stems, suggesting intact implicit memory function. She could sing along to the newly learnt song on immediate and delayed recall (24 hours and 2 weeks later), and with intermittent prompting could sing it alone. This is the first detailed study of preserved ability to learn a new song in a non-musician with severe AD, and contributes to observations of relatively preserved musical abilities in people with dementia.