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P1‐423: An fMRI study of music familiarity and brain activation in Alzheimer'S disease
Author(s) -
Jacova Claudia,
Slack Penelope J.,
Ory Jesse,
Kirkland Kevin,
Boyd Lara,
Hsiung GingYuek
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
alzheimer's and dementia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.713
H-Index - 118
eISSN - 1552-5279
pISSN - 1552-5260
DOI - 10.1016/j.jalz.2011.05.705
Subject(s) - psychology , audiology , active listening , stimulus (psychology) , analysis of variance , functional magnetic resonance imaging , cognitive psychology , neuroscience , medicine , communication
Background: Music processing may be preserved in subjects with Alzheimer disease (AD). It is not known which neural substrates are engaged in music processing, and how music familiarity moderates the engagement of these substrates in AD. We investigated fMRI patterns of brain activation during listening to familiar and non-familiar classical music excerpts in subjects with mild to moderate AD and healthy age-matched controls. We related these patterns to behavioral data on familiarity ratings and musical abilities. Methods: Five subjects with AD (age M 1⁄4 76.2, SD 1⁄4 6.6, MMSE M 1⁄4 18.6, SD 1⁄4 7.7, range 9-26) and five healthy controls (age M72.8, SD 1⁄4 8.0, MMSE M 1⁄4 29.6, SD 1⁄4 .6, range 29-30) underwent fMRI with a block design paradigm consisting of 75s of familiar music excerpts followed by 30s white noise, vs. 75s of unfamiliar music excerpts. Participants were instructed to just listen. They received a battery of behavioral tests including repeated familiarity ratings of the presented music excerpts (11⁄4very familiar to 51⁄4very unfamiliar), the Montreal Battery for Evaluation of Amusia (MBEA), and the Seashore test of musical abilities. For fMRI a mixed-model 2x2 ANOVA was used to examine effect of groupAD vs. controls) and stimulus (familiar vs. unfamiliar) using a p-value < .01 and a minimum cluster size of 200ÂmL. For behavioural data, independentand paired-sample t-tests were used with p-value < .05. Results: We found a significant group by stimulus effect in fMRI activation patterns. When familiar to unfamiliar music activations were compared, the following regions showed increases in AD and decreases in controls: left/right lingual gyrus, left inferior parietal, left superior, middle and inferior temporal gyri, left precuneus, left culmen, left/right striatum. Ratings for familiar and unfamiliar excerpts did not differ by group (ADM1⁄4 1.2, SD1⁄4 .2 andM 1⁄4 1.9, SD1⁄4 .6; Controls M1⁄4 1.2, SD1⁄4 .3, and M1⁄4 1.9, SD1⁄4 .3). Performance on music ability tests also did not differ by group except for Seashore loudness and rhythm (p < .05). Conclusions: Subjects with AD appear to respond more intensely to non-familiar than familiar music by activating regions associated with recognizing familiar patterns and emotions. They do not differ from controls on behavioral measures. This finding suggests differential neural recruitment with respect to preservedmusic recognition, and its potential application in diagnosis and treatment.