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International audience; Alzheimer disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease impacting cognitive, emotional, and social functioning. Given the limited effectiveness of the pharmacological approach in overcoming these difficulties, the development of non-drug treatment and particularly music-based interventions appear to be an efficient tool to overcome those difficulties. However, the factors that explain their efficacy are not clarified yet. Music is a fundamental human activity that can have a strong emotional and cognitive impact. Moreover, musical interventions promote social interactions during which participants coordinate their movements to a common rhythm. In this chapter, we will discuss the idea that interpersonal coordination supported by music can improve social functioning and non-verbal communication in patients with AD. We will also propose methods to study the benefits of music interventions on aged persons in clinical context and in particular in patients with AD.

International audience; Background. Considering the limited efficacy of pharmacological treatments, the use of musical interventions as non-drug treatment for patients with Alzheimer's disease are strongly recommended. Musical interventions seem to improve the socio-emotional and cognitive functioning of these patients, with benefits increasing when patients are engaged at the motor level. Objective. Our study evaluates the factors that may influence patients' socio-emotional and motor engagement during musical activities, and measures their sensorimotor synchronization (SMS) abilities. Methods. Each participant was asked to tap with a metronomic or musical rhythm, in the presence of a musician who performed the task with them. The presence of the musician was real (live condition) or virtual (video condition). Two tempi were tested: a slow tempo (Inter-Onset Interval of 800ms) and a fast tempo (Inter-Onset Interval of 667ms). Results. Patients spontaneously produced more rhythmic movements in response to the music than to the metronome. However, the consistency and accuracy of sensorimotor synchronization were better with the metronome than with the music, and also better in video than in live condition. These effects were modulated by the tempo of the auditory sequences. Conclusion. These results confirm the importance of the musical context and social interactions on these different performances. By evaluating in parallel the hand sensorimotor synchronization, spontaneous motor and socioemotional behaviors with quantitative and controlled measurements, this study validates a multimodal approach to evaluate the patients' engagement in a musical task. These initial results open up promising application prospects while providing clinicians and researchers a rigorous methodology for understanding the factors that are at the origin of the therapeutic benefits of musical activities on the behavior and well-being of patients and their caregivers.; Cette étude vise à examiner les facteurs qui influencent l’engagement socio-émotionnel et moteur et la synchronisation sensorimotrice (SSM) pendant une activité musicale chez des patients présentant une maladie d’Alzheimer. La tâche consistait à taper avec un rythme métronomique ou musical devant une musicienne réalisant la même tache, qui était présente physiquement ou virtuellement sur un écran. Selon nos résultats, les patients produisaient plus de mouvements rythmiques en réponse à la musique qu’au métronome. Cependant, la SSM était meilleure avec le métronome qu’avec la musique et en présence virtuelle plutôt que réelle de la musicienne. Ces données confirment l’importance du contexte musical et des interactions sociales sur l’engagement moteur et la synchronisation. En revanche, aucun effet sur l’engagement socio-émotionnel n’a été observé. En évaluant en parallèle la SSM, les comportements moteurs spontanés et socio-émotionnels à partir de mesures quantitatives, cette étude permet de valider une approche multimodale d’évaluation de l’engagement des patients dans une tâche musicale. Les perspectives d’applications prometteuses de ce travail mettent à la disposition des cliniciens et des chercheurs une méthodologie rigoureuse pour comprendre les facteurs qui sont à l’origine des bénéfices thérapeutiques des activités musicales sur le comportement et le bien-être des patients et de leurs aidants.