TL;DR
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A Being Patient report draws on research and music therapist Concetta Tomaino’s clinical experience to explain how music may help people with dementia feel engaged and connected. A 2025 Cochrane review found probable improvement in depressive symptoms, but little evidence of lasting changes in cognition or agitation.
A Being Patient report on music and dementia describes how personalized songs may support mood, engagement and connection for people living with the condition, while stressing that music does not reverse or stop dementia. The report summarizes a 2025 Cochrane review of 30 studies involving 1,720 participants, which found probable improvement in depressive symptoms but little evidence of longer-term change in cognition or agitation.
The report draws on the experience of Concetta Tomaino, executive director and co-founder of the Institute for Music and Neurologic Function. She recalled singing a familiar song to nursing-home residents with advanced dementia during an early clinical placement in the 1970s. Some residents who appeared unresponsive began singing the words, she said. Tomaino has studied music and neurological function for five decades, including 35 years working alongside neurologist Oliver Sacks.
Music engages several brain regions involved in sound, movement, memory and emotion, according to the report. Tomaino said musical memories and attachments are embedded in deeper brain networks that may remain functional as dementia progresses. That could help explain why a person might respond to a familiar song even when they cannot name it or identify the person playing it. Researchers do not yet have a complete explanation for music’s resilience.
One study cited in the report involved 51 people with dementia attending adult day health centers. Researchers at George Mason University played participants personalized playlists through headphones for 20 minutes. They observed increases in joy, eye contact, eye movement, engagement and talkativeness afterward, along with less sleeping. The findings describe immediate responses; they do not establish that music changes the course of dementia.
Music’s Role in Daily Dementia Care
The findings matter to families and care workers because music can offer a relatively accessible way to support a person’s comfort and interaction in everyday settings. The report describes caregivers using familiar songs during disruptive transitions, such as travel to a medical appointment or a change in routine, and playing quiet favorites before bedtime. These examples are practical uses reported by caregivers, not proof that music will work the same way for everyone.
The evidence also sets limits on expectations. The 2025 Cochrane review, which pooled 30 studies and 1,720 participants, concluded that music therapy probably improves depressive symptoms and may improve overall behavior. It found little evidence that it changes cognition or agitation over the longer term. The review also noted that benefits may fade in the weeks after sessions stop. Music is therefore better understood as a possible support for living with dementia than as a disease treatment.
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What Dementia Music Studies Found
The report describes music as a multisensory experience: listening involves auditory processing, while singing or moving to a rhythm can engage systems associated with coordination, memory and emotion. Enjoyed music can also activate the brain’s reward system, including pathways involving dopamine. These are proposed ways to understand responses to music, not a complete account of why particular songs affect a particular person.
In the George Mason study, the personalized listening session lasted 20 minutes; the reported measures concerned participants’ behavior afterward. Separately, the Cochrane review offers a broader assessment across studies, many of them conducted in care homes. Its conclusions are more cautious than the individual study’s immediate observations, and the review does not support claims that music provides lasting cognitive improvement.
Dr. Emily Ihara of George Mason University said the study’s results prompted her team to develop online training for direct-care workers in long-term care communities. The report also describes the nonprofit Music & Memory as providing personalized playlists to people with dementia, with caregivers using songs to help during changes in routine and other unsettled moments.
“They not only came to life in the moment, but were able to sing the words.”
— Concetta Tomaino, executive director and co-founder of the Institute for Music and Neurologic Function
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Limits of the Evidence So Far
The report does not give the publication date of the original article, and it does not identify the full details of every study included in the review. The Cochrane findings are described in broad terms: music therapy probably improves depressive symptoms and may improve overall behavior, while evidence for longer-term effects on cognition and agitation is limited. The review also says any effects may diminish after sessions end.
It remains unclear why musical memories can persist when other abilities decline, which approaches work best for different people, and how long any benefit lasts for an individual. The reported response to a 20-minute playlist should not be treated as a guaranteed outcome. Music does not reverse or stop dementia, and the source does not establish it as a substitute for medical care or other support.
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Training and Continued Research
George Mason University’s team, led by Ihara, is developing online training for direct-care workers in long-term care communities, according to her statement in the report. The material provided does not give a launch date or details about how the training will be evaluated.
Further research will be needed to clarify which music-based approaches best support mood and behavior, whether effects persist with regular sessions, and how outcomes vary across people and care settings. For now, the evidence summarized in the report supports a measured conclusion: personalized music may create moments of comfort and engagement, but its effects are not a cure for dementia and may not last after sessions stop.
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Key Questions
Can music treat or reverse dementia?
No. The report says music cannot reverse or stop dementia. Research suggests it may support mood, engagement and behavior, but it is not presented as a treatment for the underlying disease.
What did the 2025 Cochrane review find?
The review update combined 30 studies with 1,720 participants. It found that music therapy probably improves depressive symptoms and may improve overall behavior, but found little evidence of longer-term changes in cognition or agitation. Effects may fade in the weeks after sessions stop.
What happened in the personalized-playlist study?
Researchers gave 51 people with dementia attending adult day health centers a 20-minute personalized playlist through headphones. They observed increased joy, eye contact, eye movement, engagement and talkativeness afterward, and a decrease in sleeping.
Why might familiar music prompt a response?
Music engages several brain systems involved in sound, movement, memory and emotion. Tomaino said musical memories may be held in deeper brain networks that remain functional as dementia progresses. Researchers do not yet have a complete explanation.
How do caregivers use music in daily routines?
The report describes caregivers playing familiar songs during transitions, travel, changes in routine and before bed. These are reported uses, not a guarantee of benefit; responses can vary from person to person.
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