Background/Aims: Numerous studies have indicated the value of music therapy in the management of patients with Alzheimer’s disease. A recent pilot study demonstrated the feasibility and usefulness of a new music therapy technique. The aim of this controlled, randomised study was to assess the effects of this new music therapy technique on anxiety and depression in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer-type dementia. Methods: This was a single-centre, comparative, controlled, randomised study, with blinded assessment of its results. The duration of follow-up was 24 weeks. The treated group (n = 15) participated in weekly sessions of individual, receptive music therapy. The musical style of the session was chosen by the patient. The validated ‘U’ technique was employed. The control group (n = 15) participated under the same conditions in reading sessions. The principal endpoint, measured at weeks 1, 4, 8, 16 and 24, was the level of anxiety (Hamilton Scale). Changes in the depression score (Geriatric Depression Scale) were also analyzed as a secondary endpoint. Results: Significant improvements in anxiety (p < 0.01) and depression (p < 0.01) were observed in the music therapy group as from week 4 and until week 16. The effect of music therapy was sustained for up to 8 weeks after the discontinuation of sessions between weeks 16 and 24 (p < 0.01). Conclusion: These results confirm the valuable effect of music therapy on anxiety and depression in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease. This new music therapy technique is simple to implement and can easily be integrated in a multidisciplinary programme for the management of Alzheimer’s disease.

Psychosocial interventions, such as music therapy, can contribute to maintain or rehabilitate functional cognitive and sensory abilities, as well as emotional and social skills and to reduce the severity of some behavioural disorders.

We present qualitative experimental evidence that the "Wiimprovisation" process of using Nintendo Wiimotes as virtual instruments linked to a musical sound system within the framework of Group Music Therapy sessions can provide effective psychodynamic mediation for patients. We designed and implemented specific modalities for movement-based sound control and tested our tool in two clinical settings with children (age 7 to 12) suffering from behavioral disorders. Our preliminary results show immediate acceptance of, long term motivation for and meaningful expression through our system by patients. Future work will focus on assessing the therapeutic potential of our platform's personalization features in a controlled experiment.

Résumé Cet article est une synthèse sur la musicothérapie de groupe, ses conditions d’apparition en France, son développement historique, ses formes réceptive et active. L’auteur met en avant les relations entre la place du groupe dans la société, la part du modèle groupal qui accompagne la représentation de la musique (et ce aussi bien chez Freud, Foulkes et Moreno), et, enfin, la dimension groupale présente au sein même de la structure musicale, structure plurivocale, à la différence du langage verbal. Ces aspects sont utilisés cliniquement dans la musicothérapie analytique de groupe à partir, principalement, des improvisations sonores, musicales, du groupe, considérées comme une sorte de radiographie du fonctionnement préconscient-inconscient, et de son évolution au cours de l’expérience groupale.