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. 2025 Jul 8;25(1):508.
doi: 10.1186/s12877-025-06073-7.

Efficacy of music therapy as a non-pharmacological measure to support alzheimer's disease patients: a systematic review

Jia Wang #  1 , Cong Liu #  2 , Ying Dai #  2 , Can Mei  1 , Guiping Wang  1 , Yong Wang  1 , Tao Huang  3 , Jianbo Zhan  2 , Jing Cheng  4
Affiliations

Efficacy of music therapy as a non-pharmacological measure to support alzheimer's disease patients: a systematic review

Jia Wang et al. BMC Geriatr. .

Abstract

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a degenerative disease of the central nervous system characterized by progressive memory degradation and language and behavior disorders. Apart from curative pharmacological therapies, music therapy (MT) has been diffusely used as an efficient and economical non-pharmacological treatment for AD patients in recent years.

Methods: Three databases (PubMed, Web of Science and PsycINFO) were searched to analyse the efficacy of MT in patients with AD. Keywords included "Alzheimer's disease", "AD", "Mild Cognitive Impairment", "MCI", "music" and "music therapy".

Results: Literatures between January 2013 and January 2023 were selected, with 42 literatures included in the study, which highlights the beneficial impact of MT on cognition (memory, attention, language), behavioural and psychological symptoms (anxiety, depression and agitation), quality of life, self-esteem and physical pain in AD patients.

Conclusion: MT is a promising non-pharmacological treatment approach for individuals living with AD. However, further evidences from prospective, randomised, blinded, uniform, and rigorous method-logical investigations in this field are required to conclusively validate MT's impact on this disease. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD420251034039.

Keywords: Alzheimer's disease; Cognition; Music therapy; Non-pharmacological intervention; Systematic review.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: The authors are accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Mechanism of music therapy for Alzheimer's disease (AD)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Flowchart of systematic literature search
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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