Researchers at Tel Aviv University have introduced a pioneering approach to flag early signs of dementia by monitoring brain activity while individuals listen to music. The study appears in Frontiers in the Neuroscience of Aging, a peer-reviewed scientific journal.
The researchers describe a music-based assessment designed to gauge cognitive decline. In a session lasting roughly 12 to 15 minutes, participants engage in a series of tasks while their brain activity is recorded with a portable electroencephalography (EEG) device. The setup involves placing three electrodes on the forehead, secured with adhesive tape to ensure stable contact. During the procedure, participants wear headphones that deliver short melodies and task instructions. Tasks may include responding with a button press whenever a melody or violin sound is heard. Before the test tasks begin, several minutes of quiet music are played to help the brain settle into a resting state, a preparatory step intended to reduce background noise in neural signals.
The study cohort consisted of 50 older adults who completed the music-based test. EEG data were analyzed using machine learning methods to identify patterns in brain activity. The trained models revealed EEG features that correlated strongly with outcomes from traditional cognitive assessments, suggesting that certain neural signals evoked by music could serve as indicators of cognitive status. This alignment between EEG metrics and established cognitive measures offers a promising avenue for more objective screening tools. (Tel Aviv University, Frontiers in the Neuroscience of Aging).
If validated in larger and more diverse populations, the music-based EEG approach could become a routine screening option for detecting cognitive decline at earlier stages. The goal is to support timely intervention and treatment, potentially slowing progression and reducing the likelihood of rapid deterioration. In practical terms, such a tool could complement existing cognitive tests by providing a noninvasive, portable means to monitor brain function over time. Researchers emphasize that further work is needed to confirm sensitivity across different demographic groups and to determine how factors like education, hearing ability, and baseline neural variability might influence results. (Tel Aviv University, Frontiers in the Neuroscience of Aging).