Rhythmic musical intervention improves response time of memory tests: A pilot study on the application of a digital...

Memory complaints are the early symptoms of cognitive impairment, and they usually bring anxiety about cognitive deterioration among the elderly population. Musical interventions were demonstrated to relieve dementia symptoms. This pilot study investigated the potential benefits of rhythmic musical intervention, African drumming, on cognitive function and mood status with traditional and digital assessments for elderly participants.

Participants were recruited through social media. The musical intervention was arranged by drumming instructors certified by the Hong Kong Association of African Drumming. Participants joined regular training classes with eight lessons, which covered rhythmic clapping and drumming, power control, and overall performance with songs. The inclusion criteria included the following: (1) age over 50; (2) self-reported complaints of memory loss; (3) the ability to use digital devices, such as a smartphone; and (4) can understand the content of questionnaires and follow the intervention schedules. Those with hearing impairment, failure to use Chinese, and active psychosis or dementia were excluded. Cognitive function was measured by the Hong Kong version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (HK-MoCA) and a digital platform, ScreenMat. Anxiety and depression levels were assessed by the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15). All assessments were performed before and after the drumming classes. The outcomes were compared using the Wilcoxon signed rank test with 0.05 as the significance level.

Twenty-two participants joined this study with an attendance rate of 90%. The overall cognitive function of the participants was good with an average score of 27 for HK-MoCA. After eight sessions of African drum intervention, the cognitive function did not show a significant improvement, but the response time of answering the digital cognitive questions was significantly faster than before the intervention (-39.9 s, p = 0.03). The response time for the short-term memory function was most significantly reduced (-13.5 s, p = 0.017). The anxiety and depression scores (i.e. STAI and GDS) also significantly improved (p < 0.001) after the intervention.

Rhythmic musical intervention is not only effective in improving emotional status, but also potentially good for improving cognitive symptoms, including the response time of the memory test. Digital behavioral analysis may bring new insights for future research on cognitive assessment.