Musical experience influences socio-emotional functioning in behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia

Abstract

Objectives: On phenotypic and neuroanatomical grounds, music exposure might potentially affect the clinical expression of behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD). However, this has not been clarified.

Methods: 14 consecutive patients with bvFTD fulfilling consensus diagnostic criteria were recruited via a specialist cognitive clinic. Earlier life musical experience, current musical listening habits and general socio-emotional behaviours were scored using a bespoke semi-quantitative musical survey and standardised functional scales, completed with the assistance of patients' primary caregivers. Associations of musical scores with behavioural scales were assessed using a linear regression model adjusted for age, sex, educational attainment and level of executive and general cognitive impairment.

Results: Greater earlier life musical experience was associated with significantly lower Cambridge Behavioural Inventory (Revised) scores (β ± SE = -17.2 ± 5.2; p = 0.01) and higher Modified Interpersonal Reactivity Index (MIRI) perspective-taking scores (β ± SE = 2.8 ± 1.1; p = 0.03), after adjusting for general cognitive ability. Number of hours each week currently spent listening to music was associated with higher MIRI empathic concern (β ± SE = 0.7 ± 0.21; p = 0.015) and MIRI total scores (β ± SE = 1.1 ± 0.34; p = 0.014).

Discussion: Musical experience in earlier life and potentially ongoing regular music listening may ameliorate socio-emotional functioning in bvFTD. Future work in larger cohorts is required to substantiate the robustness of this association, establish its mechanism and evaluate its clinical potential.

Keywords: behaviour; frontotemporal dementia; music; musical training; musician; social cognition.

Figure 1

Association of past musical experience with socio-emotional functioning in bvFTD. Scores of individual bvFTD patients on standard measures of daily life socio-emotional functioning vs. their scores on our earlier life musical experience survey (graded between 0 and 4; see text and Supplementary material) are plotted, with lines of best fit and 95% confidence envelopes. CBI-R and MIRI-PT scores are z-transformed; Pearson correlations with corresponding p values are indicated on the plots. bvFTD, Patient group with behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia; CBI-R, Cambridge behavioural inventory—revised; and MIRI-PT, modified interpersonal reactivity index—perspective taking.

Figure 2

Association of current music listening with socio-emotional functioning in bvFTD. Scores of individual bvFTD patients on standard measures of daily life socio-emotional functioning versus their scores on our earlier life musical experience survey (graded between 0 and 4; see text and Supplementary material) are plotted, with lines of best fit and 95% confidence envelopes. MIRI-total and MIRI-EC scores are z-transformed; Pearson correlations with corresponding p values are indicated on the plots. bvFTD, Patient group with behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia; MIRI-EC, Modified interpersonal reactivity index—empathic concern; and MIRI-total, Modified interpersonal reactivity index—total score.