Episodic Memory Conservation in Patients with Alzheimer`S Disease. Effects of a Musical Therapeutic Program Focused In the Musical Memory

Abstract

This research studied the possible effects of the use of musical memory as cognitive stimulation therapy and its impact on the episodic memory in a group of patients with Alzheimer's disease in its early stages. It also sought to analyze the existing correlation between both memory types and the characteristics of the musical memory in this type of population. The results were correlated with the therapeutic process, which were unique in each patient. Of the seven patients who completed the process, four showed improvement or conservation of their mnemonic skills and three showed regression.This study suggests that musical abilities are closely associated with cognition in general; likewise, it reveals the relation among music, the activation of the emotion systems, and the stimulation of memory. For this reason, this research leads to the conclusion that music therapy could be an effective element within the therapy of cognitive stimulation in this type of patient.