Mind over Music
From: AARP Magazine - Aug / Sep 2012 - page 18
By: Holly St. Lifer

Alzheimer's research hits a high note

The early symptoms of Alzheimer's - memory loss, forgetfulness - are so
similar to those of natural aging that the disease is often diagnosed too
late for effective treatment. Now an MIT team has created music software to
help diagnose the disease much sooner. Users compose songs and then play a
Concentration-like game that involves recalling excerpts of melody pairs and
other memory tasks. You can track your own results and watch for signs of
more serious cognitive decline. "If Alzheimer's can be detected early,
medication and mental exercises have a better chance of stabilizing memory
loss or at least slowing down the progression," says one of the software's
creators, Adam Boulanger, PhD. The software is currently in clinical trials,
but researchers hope to release a commercial version to the public within the
year. 

Links:
Adam Boulanger
http://web.media.mit.edu/~adamb/

CogNotes
http://web.media.mit.edu/~adamb/projects.html

New Music Software to Detect Early Alzheimer’s
http://www.fiftyisthenewfifty.com/health-beauty/new-music-software-to-detect-early-alzheimers.html