Saturday 10th of May 10.15-11.45
Aula Scarpa
Chair of the session – Federico Curzel
Abstracts
Music Therapy to Support Cognitive Function, Wellbeing, and Physiological Symptoms in Healthy and Cognitively Impaired Older Adults: An RCT study
by Dr Anthony Mangiacotti1 | Dr Emma V. Ward1 | Sophie Williams2 | Clare Barone2 | Dr Ming Hung Hsu3 | Professor Michele Biasutti4 | Professor Gianfranco Gabai4 | Dr Fabia Franco1
1 Middlesex University London
2 MHA
3 Anglia Ruskin University
4 University of Padova
Music therapy (MT) is a non-pharmacological intervention that demonstrates potential in alleviating psychological stressors associated with aging, making it suitable for social prescribing. However, controlled studies evaluating the effectiveness of MT are limited.
Here we share findings from the MusiCare project, which investigated the efficacy of MT interventions in healthy older adults (study 1) and individuals with mild to moderate cognitive impairment living in care facilities (study 2). Both studies used a pre-post RCT design comparing three formats of a 5-month intervention: (i) one-to-one, (ii) small-group, (iii) community MT. Outcome measures focussed on cognition, wellbeing, and physiological markers (salivary cortisol/DHEA ratio and Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia). The results underscore the biopsychosocial and cognitive benefits of these MT approaches across these populations, offering recommendations on the optimal match between MT type and cognitive functioning level to maximize benefits. Significant improvements in cognition and behavioural symptoms were observed across all MT formats, with healthy older adults particularly benefiting from one-to-one and small-group settings, while cognitively impaired participants showed marked improvements in one-to-one and community settings.
Additionally, the findings suggest how MT can be adapted for preventive community programs, promoting healthy aging and supporting cognitive-behavioural functions in care home settings.
“ToM and Pepper Lab” – Robotics for cognitive stimulation and social skills: a preliminary study.
by Laura Miraglia1 | Giusi Figliano1 | Federico Manzi1 | Matteo Nazzario2 | Irene Borgini2 | Massimo Donini2 | Luigi Ruggerone3 | Viviana Martellosio4 | Cinzia Di Dio1 | Antonella Marchetti1 | Davide Massaro1 |
1 Research Center on Theory of Mind and Social Competence in the Lifespan, Department of Psychology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan
2 Robotics Lab, Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center
3 Frontier Research, Technologies & Business Development Coordination Area, Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center |
4 Istituto De Rodolfi, Azienda Speciale Multiservizi, Vigevano (PV)
Dementia is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide and has a significant impact on social and financial resources. Dementia often presents as an initial mild cognitive impairment (MCI), which in many cases is a precursor to more severe neurodegenerative disease. This early decline affects memory and Theory of Mind functions. Early intervention
is essential to slow the progression of the disease, and Assistive Social Robotics has shown promise as a non-pharmacological option. This preliminary study investigated the acceptability of the social robot Pepper and evaluated its ability to deliver structured cognitive and socio-cognitive training to elderly people with cognitive decline. The training was carried out using the PRIS platform, a web-based tool developed in collaboration with Intesa Sanpaolo’s Innovation Centre. The PRIS platform facilitates the programming of the Pepper application, providing personalized interactions, dynamic dialogues, and real-time data collection. Nine participants, aged between 68 and 93 and suffering from mild to moderate dementia, completed a four-week training program. Qualitative analysis of interviews and session recordings revealed high participant engagement, improved autonomy and concentration, and positive emotional responses. These results are encouraging and suggest the potential of social robots to support cognitive function and emotional well-being through structured training.
Recode: a new, open access, web-based platform for cognitive stimulation.
by Zaira Romeo1 | Vincenzo Livoti2 | Eleonora Macchia3 | Adele Ravelli4 | Marianna Noale3 | Daniela Mapelli1 | Mario Bonato1| Giulio Contemori1 | Maria Devita1 |
1 Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
2 Padova Neuroscience Center (PNC), University of Padova |
3 Neuroscience Institute, National Research Council, Padova, Italy |
4 Department of Medicine (DIMED), Geriatrics Division, University of Padova, Italy
Cognitive stimulation is the gold-standard approach to improve cognitive function and quality of life of people with cognitive decline. In this study, we compared the efficacy of a new computerized training approach (RECODE), with respect to a traditional paper-and pencil intervention. RECODE comprises exercises covering main cognitive domains and has an adaptive procedure to select the most appropriate level of difficulty. Twelve patients with mild-to-moderate cognitive decline were trained using RECODE, while other 12 patients attended the traditional intervention. Both trainings were administered by expert neuropsychologists and lasted approximately two months. Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Brief Neuropsychological Examination (ENB-2) were collected before and after the intervention. Groups were matched by age and MMSE at baseline. Mixed-effects models were used to study changes in cognitive scores related to group, time, and their interaction. After training, the RECODE group showed increased scores at both MMSE (p=0.020) and ENB-2 (p=0.040). The MMSE score did not change following the traditional intervention, while the ENB-2 score slightly increased (p=0.068). Post-training evaluation evidenced a 13% greater increase in MMSE score in RECODE group compared with traditional intervention. These findings suggest that RECODE is a promising tool for cognitive stimulation, with also potential for remote use.
Use of everyday memory strategies is related to subjective cognitive abilities across the adult lifespan.
by Louise Nicholls | Julia-Marie Lukas | Linzi Crawford | Lazaro Jackson
University of Strathclyde
The relationship between cognitive strategy use and subjective cognitive difficulties may suggest an active, compensatory process in response to experiencing difficulties. However, the available evidence tends to focus on specific age groups, and on general cognition or memory performance, and findings are mixed. This pre-registered study investigated whether adult age moderates the relationship between strategy use and subjective cognitive difficulties. The sample comprised 606 United Kingdom-based adults aged 18-86 years. Participants completed a survey measuring specific, everyday cognitive difficulties (i.e., attention, language, visual-perceptual ability, and visuo-spatial and verbal memory) and strategy use (generalised and memory-specific). Covariates included gender, depression, anxiety, stress, and the strategy scale not used as the predictor. There was a clear tendency for younger adults to report more frequent use of specific, everyday cognitive strategies than middle-aged and older adults. Moderated regression models also revealed memory- specific strategy use as a robust predictor of cognitive difficulties, but no interaction effect was observed for any cognitive domain. The relationship between memory strategies and subjective cognition is therefore pervasive across the adult lifespan. The results suggest potential for older adults to incorporate more frequent use of cognitive strategies in everyday life.