Could live music tune the brain to ease Alzheimer's anxiety?
NCT ID NCT07775625
First seen Aug 20, 2026 · Last updated Aug 21, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether a specially designed type of live music—slow, soft, and improvisational—can reduce anxiety in people living with Alzheimer's disease. Participants will listen to either this music or calming stories over eight sessions. Researchers will measure anxiety levels, heart rate, and brain responses to see if the music promotes relaxation and eases the burden on caregivers.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Clinically Designed Improvisatory Music (CDIM) — live, slow-tempo, soft music with pauses, compared to listening to calming stories.
- What this could lead to
- If effective, this could offer a drug-free way to ease anxiety in Alzheimer's and reduce caregiver stress, potentially improving quality of life.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small pilot study, so results may not be definitive. The music may not work for everyone, and individual responses can vary.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 30 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Feb 2026
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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55 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria * Clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease * Positive Alzheimer's disease biomarkers (blood test, amyloid PET scan or CSF) * Mini-mental State Exam (MMSE) \>=15 * Rating for Anxiety in Dementia (RAID) score \> 8 Exclusion Criteria * Significant hearing impairments * Major comorbidities Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) scores above \> 10'
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
RECRUITINGChicago, Illinois, 60611, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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