Music-Based Interventions May Help Short-Term Depression, Behavior With Dementia
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, March 11, 2025 -- Music-based therapeutic interventions may improve depressive symptoms and overall behavioral problems in the short term for people with dementia, according to a review published online March 7 in Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.
Jenny T. van der Steen, Ph.D., from the Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands, and colleagues conducted a systematic literature review to assess the effects of music‐based therapeutic interventions for people with dementia.
Based on 30 studies (1,720 participants), the researchers found moderate-certainty evidence that music-based therapeutic interventions probably improved depressive symptoms slightly (nine studies; 441 participants). There was low-certainty evidence that it improved overall behavioral problems (10 studies; 385 participants). There was moderate-certainty evidence that music-based therapeutic interventions likely did not improve agitation or aggression (11 studies; 503 participants). There was low- to very low-certainty evidence that music-based interventions did not improve emotional well-being (four studies; 154 participants), anxiety (seven studies; 282 participants), social behavior (two studies; 121 participants), or cognition (seven studies; 353 participants). Four weeks or more after the end of treatment, there was low- or very low-certainty evidence that music-based therapeutic interventions may not have been more effective than usual care for any of the outcomes.
"When compared to usual care, providing people with dementia with at least five sessions of a music‐based therapeutic intervention probably improves depressive symptoms and may improve overall behavioral problems at the end of treatment," the authors write.
Several authors disclosed ties to relevant organizations.
Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted March 2025
Read this next
Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 May Affect Risk for Alzheimer Disease
THURSDAY, May 22, 2025 -- Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) is associated with an increased risk for Alzheimer disease (AD) based on real-world data from the United States...
Combinations of Chronic, Physical Illnesses Up the Risk of Subsequent Depression
WEDNESDAY, May 21, 2025 -- Certain groups of physical multimorbidity may be associated with a higher risk of subsequent depression, according to a study published online May 13...
Exposure to Certain HIV Drugs May Significantly Lower Risk for Alzheimer Disease
TUESDAY, May 20, 2025 -- Exposure to nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), which treat HIV and hepatitis B and inhibit inflammasome activation, is associated with a...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.