AUTHOR=Johnson Katherine G. , D’Souza Annalise A. , Wiseheart Melody 

TITLE=Art Training in Dementia: A Randomized Controlled Trial

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=11

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.585508

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2020.585508

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Objectives</title><p>The present study explores the effect of visual art training on people with dementia, utilizing a randomized control trial design, in order to investigate the effects of an 8-week visual art training program on cognition. In particular, the study examines overall cognition, delayed recall, and working memory, which show deficits in people with dementia.</p></sec><sec><title>Method</title><p>Fifty-three individuals with dementia were randomly assigned into either an art training (<italic>n</italic> = 27) or usual-activity waitlist control group (<italic>n</italic> = 26). Overall cognition and delayed recall were assessed with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and working memory was assessed with the Backward Digit Span task.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>There were no group differences in overall cognition, or working memory, while a difference in delayed recall was undetermined, based on post-test—pre-test difference scores. Groups were comparable at baseline on all measures.</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusion</title><p>The measures of cognition, delayed recall, and working memory used in this study were not affected by an 8-week visual art training program.</p></sec><sec><title>Clinical Trial Registration</title><p><ext-link ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="http://www.ClinicalTrials.gov" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">www.ClinicalTrials.gov</ext-link>, identifier NCT03175822.</p></sec>