Music-based assistive feedback system for the exploration of virtual environments in individuals with dementia

Abstract

Music is a powerful tool that shapes human experience since infancy with a known positive effect on health. As such, music has been used to aid in a variety of conditions among which Alzheimer's disease (AD). Although AD is known for disrupting competences related to activities of daily living, several learning paradigms have been applied to re-stimulate such competences. In this study, we explore the feasibility of a learning enhancement method that is based on musical distortions. We developed a quiz-type game where participants with dementia had to find the right answer. Two conditions were created, one condition exploited feedback based on musical distortion while the second condition was based on visual distortion. We applied a within-subjects study design, and measured the performance in terms of time and errors in 7 patients with dementia. The results support our hypothesis that music-based feedback can be an effective enhancer of task performance when compared to visual feedback in patients suffering dementia.