Musical experience influences socio-emotional functioning in behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia.

Objectives: On phenotypic and neuroanatomical grounds, music exposure might potentially affect the clinical expression of behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD). However, this has not been clarified.
Methods: 14 consecutive patients with bvFTD fulfilling consensus diagnostic criteria were recruited via a specialist cognitive clinic. Earlier life musical experience, current musical listening habits and general socio-emotional behaviours were scored using a bespoke semi-quantitative musical survey and standardised functional scales, completed with the assistance of patients' primary caregivers. Associations of musical scores with behavioural scales were assessed using a linear regression model adjusted for age, sex, educational attainment and level of executive and general cognitive impairment.
Results: Greater earlier life musical experience was associated with significantly lower Cambridge Behavioural Inventory (Revised) scores (β ± SE = -17.2 ± 5.2; p  = 0.01) and higher Modified Interpersonal Reactivity Index (MIRI) perspective-taking scores (β ± SE = 2.8 ± 1.1; p  = 0.03), after adjusting for general cognitive ability. Number of hours each week currently spent listening to music was associated with higher MIRI empathic concern (β ± SE = 0.7 ± 0.21; p  = 0.015) and MIRI total scores (β ± SE = 1.1 ± 0.34; p  = 0.014).
Discussion: Musical experience in earlier life and potentially ongoing regular music listening may ameliorate socio-emotional functioning in bvFTD. Future work in larger cohorts is required to substantiate the robustness of this association, establish its mechanism and evaluate its clinical potential.
Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
(Copyright © 2024 van’t Hooft, Benhamou, Albero Herreros, Jiang, Levett, Core, Requena-Komuro, Hardy, Tijms, Pijnenburg and Warren.)