Collaborators | Music & Dementia Research Network

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.