title: Improvement of autobiographic memory recovery by means of sad music in Alzheimer's Disease type dementia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Autobiographic memory undergoes progressive deterioration during the evolution of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The aim of this study was to analyze mechanisms which facilitate recovery of autobiographic memories. We used a repeatedly employed mechanism, music, with the addition of an emotional factor.
  
  
  METHODS
  Autobiographic memory provoked by a variety of sounds (music which was happy, sad, lacking emotion, ambient noise in a coffee bar and no sound) was analyzed in a sample of 25 patients with AD.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Emotional music, especially sad music for remote memories, was found to be the most effective kind for recall of autobiographic experiences.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The factor evoking the memory is not the music itself, but rather the emotion associated with it, and is useful for semantic rather than episodic memory.
authors.affiliation: University of Salamanca, Department of Psychology, Spain.
authors.forename: Juan José
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Meilán García
authors.forename: Rosario
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Iodice
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Carro
authors.forename: José Antonio
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Sánchez
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Palmero
authors.forename: Ana María
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Mateos
mesh_terms: D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D061212:Memory, Episodic; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology*; D009146:Music / Q000523:psychology; D009147:Music Therapy / Q000379:methods*