Treatment with music has shown effectiveness in the treatment of general behavioural and cognitive symptoms of patients with various types of dementia.Objective:To assess the effectiveness of treatment with music on the memory of patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD).Methods:A systematic search was performed on PubMed (Medline), Cochrane Library, PsycINFO and Lilacs databases up to June 2017 and included all randomized controlled trials that assessed memory using musical interventions in patients with AD.Results:Forty-two studies were identified, and 24 studies were selected. After applying the exclusion criteria, four studies involving 179 patients were included. These studies showed the benefits of using music to treat memory deficit in patients with AD.Conclusion:To the best of our knowledge, this is the first systematic review focusing on randomized trials found in the literature that analysed the role of musical interventions specifically in the memory of patients with AD. Despite the positive outcome of this review, the available evidence remains inconsistent due to the small number of randomized controlled trials.

Objective To assess whether the month of birth in different latitudes of South America might influence the presence or severity of multiple sclerosis (MS) later in life. Methods Neurologists in four South American countries working at MS units collected data on their patients' month of birth, gender, age, and disease progression. Results Analysis of data from 1207 MS patients and 1207 control subjects did not show any significant variation in the month of birth regarding the prevalence of MS in four latitude bands (0–10; 11–20; 21–30; and 31–40 degrees). There was no relationship between the month of birth and the severity of disease in each latitude band. Conclusion The results from this study show that MS patients born to mothers who were pregnant at different Southern latitudes do not follow the seasonal pattern observed at high Northern latitudes.

The COVID-19 pandemic has placed many restrictions on social interaction. Although these restrictions are challenging for everyone, they are particularly difficult for older adults who are often isolated. While telehealth has been around for a number of years, it had not been practiced to any great extent by music therapists until COVID-19. Telehealth will continue to prove valuable even when the pandemic ends, and as a result, it is timely to assess the benefits and recommendations for best practices. This paper provides a starting point of reflection for telehealth for persons with dementia, offering practical recommendations and implications for planning and training.

-Musical autobiographies consist of a powerful therapeutic tool by which individuals define themselves. The use of this technique may help (re)construction personal identities and improve quality of life of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Eight adult patients on treatment at CIEM Multiple Sclerosis Investigation Center after selecting 10 to 15 pieces of music most significant in their lives were interviewed. The data collected were classified according to Even Rudd categories, which reveal how a person expresses his personal, social, temporal and transpersonal identities. We observed that recall of musical history makes MS patients get better perception both of their feelings and body awareness, as well as provide them with an alternative way to express themselves, activate and contextualize affective memories, and achieving a sense of life continuity in spite of the disease.KEY WORDS: music therapy, multiple sclerosis, musical autobiography, quality of life. Identidade musical em pacientes com esclerose múltiplaResumo -Autobiografias musicais constituem um recurso terapêutico pelo qual indivíduos definem a si mesmos, auxiliando a (re)construção da identidade e contribuindo para a melhora da qualidade de vida de portadores de esclerose múltipla (EM). Oito pacientes adultos sob acompanhamento no Centro de Investigação em esclerose múltipla (CIEM) da UFMG, selecionaram entre 10 e 15 músicas significativas em sua vida, a respeito das quais discorreram em entrevista aberta. Os dados foram analisados qualitativamente segundo categorias criadas por Even Rudd, que visam revelar como o indivíduo expressa suas identidades pessoal, social, temporal e transpessoal. Submetidos a tratamento quantitativo, os dados demonstraram que, através da sua história musical, os pacientes aumentaram a percepção dos sentimentos e sensações corporais, expressaramse de maneiras alternativas e ativaram memórias afetivas, contextualizando-as e adquirindo um senso de continuidade da vida. PALAVRAS-CHAVE: musicoterapia, esclerose múltipla, autobiografia musical, qualidade de vida.

Esta revisão da literatura tem como objetivo mostrar recentes mudanças relacionadas ao diagnóstico da doença de Alzheimer (DA). O diagnóstico permanece clínico, no entanto, há um entendimento crescente de que biomarcadores específicos no líquido cefalorraquidiano e na neuroimagem molecular possam desempenhar um papel importante na definição etiopatogênica da doença. Os biomarcadores podem ser importantes para o diagnóstico nos estágios iniciais da DA. Considerando que a DA seja um processo fisiopatológico cerebral, a presença de biomarcadores específicos indica o diagnóstico de DA. Atualmente, o uso de biomarcadores é direcionado para pesquisa clínica e para o desenvolvimento de novas drogas.

The therapeutic benefits of music are well recognized in care for the elderly and especially for people with dementia (PWD).  Currently, music-based programs occur at different levels and by a variety of professionals. The challenge is to ensure that music is provided in a positive and beneficial way.   There is a need for clinical practice guidelines, based on research outcomes in order to guarantee reliable music therapy and music-based intervention procedures for people with dementia (PWD) so that these interventions are properly implemented by professional music therapists, other health allied professionals as well as caregivers. This paper reflects on this need in order to guarantee successful best practices in the use of music with PWD.

Autobiografias musicais constituem um recurso terapêutico eloqüente a respeito de como os indivíduos definem a si mesmos, auxiliando a (re)construção da identidade e contribuindo para a melhoria da qualidade de vida de portadores de Esclerose Múltipla. Oito pacientes adultos sob acompanhamento no Centro de Investigação em Esclerose Múltipla (CIEM) - UFMG, selecionaram entre 10 a 15 músicas significativas em sua vida, a respeito das quais discorreram em entrevista aberta. Os dados foram analisados qualitativamente segundo categorias criadas pelo musicoterapeuta norueguês Even RUDD (1998), que visam revelar como o indivíduo expressa suas identidades pessoal, social, temporal e transpessoal. Submetidos a tratamento quantitativo, os dados indicaram que, através da sua história musical, os pacientes aumentaram a percepção dos sentimentos e sensações corporais, expressaram-se de maneiras alternativas e ativaram memórias afetivas, contextualizando-as e adquirindo um senso de continuidade da vida.

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