Six-Month Music Practice Versus Psychomotor Interventions in Mild Cognitive Impairment: Behavioral and Hippocampal Outcomes

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is characterized by measurable cognitive decline with largely preserved daily functioning and increased risk of dementia. MCI patients may also exhibit sensorimotor and communication impairments, while hippocampal atrophy and altered functional connectivity are prominent neural features associated with further cognitive decline. Evidence from nonpharmacological interventions integrating cognitive challenge, coordinated movement, and emotional engagement remains limited in early-stage MCI. In this pilot intervention study, we examined whether 6 months of intensive musical instrument training versus psychomotor interventions were associated with changes in cognitive and sensorimotor performance, hippocampal gray matter volume, and functional connectivity. Outcomes were compared between randomized MCI groups, with matched healthy controls as reference for test-retest and age-related neural effects. Improvements in global cognition were modest, reaching marginal significance only in the music group, while both interventions were associated with complementary domain-specific cognitive and sensorimotor gains. Hippocampal gray matter volume remained stable across all three groups, whereas hippocampal functional connectivity declined in healthy controls but remained stable in both intervention groups, consistent with possible functional neural maintenance. These preliminary findings suggest that group-based, low-risk music and psychomotor interventions may support cognitive, sensorimotor, and neural functioning in early MCI, warranting further investigation in larger controlled trials.