Methods for measuring interpersonal behavioral and neural synchrony during group music therapy for individuals with dementia and their caregivers: A case series study

Background: Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) are neurodegenerative disorders that afflict 1 in 9 older adults. As pharmacological interventions for ADRD are often ineffective and cause rampant side effects, interest has increased in finding adjunctive, non-pharmacological approaches. Music therapy may be especially beneficial for individuals with ADRD and their caregivers as music is a form of non-verbal communication. Objective: In this case series, we describe a 12-week group music therapy program for individuals with ADRD and their caregivers. Methods: Brain activity was recorded with hyperscanning electroencephalography (EEG) during each music therapy session from the individual with ADRD (n = 3), caregiver (n = 3), and music therapist (n = 1). Video recordings allowed for assessment of movement behavior and affective state responses. Results: This 12-week case series of group music therapy for individuals and their caregivers had a 66% retention and 95.8% adherence rate. We had success collecting behavioral and neural data using 360-degree video capture in combination with EEG. Video recordings allowed us to analyze affective state and nonverbal communication metrics. After pre-processing, neural recordings were clean and able to be analyzed for various neural metrics of interest. Conclusions: A human-centered design approach can be helpful for implementing longitudinal, non-pharmacological interventions in this vulnerable population. A team-science approach with a collective of creative arts therapists, neuroscientists, dementia care experts, creative technologists, and gerontology experts contributed to the conduction of this work. Future studies should examine the effects of music therapy on behavioral and neural outcomes, especially as it relates to interpersonal behavioral and neural synchrony.