Collaborators

Dr. Assal Habibi

Position: Associate Professor of Psychology and Neurology; Director, Center for Music, Brain and Society, University of Southern California
Research goal: This project is a continuation and expansion of our research using music-based interventions to enhance well-being in older adults experiencing cognitive decline. It examines how personalized nostalgic music supports autobiographical memory recall in individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), with a particular focus on identifying the underlying neural mechanisms.
Background: PhD in Cognitive Sciences from the University of California, Irvine, with expertise in auditory and music processing, emotional and cognitive responses to music, and the impacts of music engagement across the lifespan.
Why this study: As we expand the use of music-based approaches in healthcare for older adults, it is essential that these interventions are designed with careful attention to participants’ musical tastes, histories, cultural backgrounds, and current contexts. My work has long focused on how engagement with music shapes cognitive, brain, and socio-emotional development across the lifespan. By identifying the brain networks engaged by personalized nostalgic music in individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment, this study will not only deepen our mechanistic understanding of music’s impact on autobiographical memory, but also help inform more person-centered and effective music-based interventions.

Dr. Sarah Hennessy

Pilot Study Title:  Neural Mechanisms Supporting Music-Evoked Nostalgia in Mild Cognitive Impairment

Position: Postdoctoral Scientist at the University of Arizona

Research goal: This project aims at understanding the neural mechanisms underlying the impact of personalized nostalgic music on autobiographical memory recall in individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment.

Background: PhD in Brain and Cognitive Sciences completed at the University of Southern California, focusing on neural correlates of music-evoked emotion and memory.

Why this study: Listening to nostalgic music may temporarily improve autobiographical memory and sense of self in individuals with cognitive decline, yet the neural mechanisms of this improvement remain elusive. This project seeks to identify brain networks responsible for nostalgic music's beneficial effects. By understanding these neural mechanisms, we aim to develop more targeted and effective music-based interventions for individuals with Alzheimer's disease and provide a scientific framework for implementing these treatments.

Dr. Borna Bonakdarpour

Pilot Study Title: Central Auditory Processing Modulation Underlying Anxiety Reduction Using Clinically Designed Improvisatory Music

Position: Associate Professor of Neurology; Director, Northwestern Music and Medicine Program

Research goal: Understanding the effect of music-based interventions for neurocognitive disorders; Investigation of efficacy of music-based interventions for neurologic disorders. 
 
Background: Clinician-investigator, behavioral neurology, music cognition, music neuroscience, piano performance, music composition, musicology.
 
Why this study: In this study we investigate how acoustically designed improvisatory music mitigates measurable changes in the brain causing reduction in anxiety in patients with Alzheimer's disease and their caregivers. We hypothesized that aside from the role of music in retrieving autobiographical memory,  music can reduce anxiety via modulation in the subcortical auditory network through entrainment and therefore reduce anxiety by decreasing noise in subcortical auditory system.

Dr. Lou Awad

Pilot Study Title: Use of Mobile Brain-Body Imaging to Evaluate the Effects of Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation on Gait and Brain Function in Alzheimer's Disease
 

Position: Associate Professor of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences; Director Neuromotor Recovery Laboratory, Boston University.
 

Research goal: Research integrates clinical biomechanics, neuromotor control, and rehabilitation to develop and evaluate technologies that diagnose, assist, and treat movement impairments following neurological injury or disease
 

Background: Joint DPT/PhD at University of Delaware. PhD in Biomechanics and Movement Sciences. Postdoctoral Fellow at Wyss Institute at Harvard University and Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
 

Why this study: Individuals with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) experience a nearly threefold higher rate of falls than neurotypical older adults due to impairments in both gait and cognition. There is an urgent need for fall-prevention interventions tailored to the unique deficits of individuals with AD. Music-based interventions are emerging as highly promising non-pharmacological treatments for individuals with AD. The goal of this study is to examine the neural correlates of AD-related gait dysfunction and the mechanisms underlying RAS-induced improvements in walking ability.