# Developing a therapeutic, music-based mobile application to combat neuropsychiatric symptoms in people living with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias

> **NIH NIH R41** · AUTOTUNE ME LLC · 2024 · $71,980

## Abstract

Project Summary
More than 6 million people in the United States are living with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related
Dementias (ADRD). Music-based interventions have been shown to decrease common ADRD
behaviors (agitation, depression) through melody and tempo to modulate parasympathetic
nerve activity, which leads to changes in heart rate, music-induced relaxation/movement, and
enhanced mood regulation. Since many music interventions are only available in institutional
settings, family caregivers often lack resources and have limited access to digital-based
applications to deliver an intervention while providing informal care for their loved ones at home.
In this proposal, we will develop, a mobile application, “Tune Den,” created specifically for the
use by people with ADRD supported by their family caregivers. Tune Den's unique design
tailored for people living with ADRD and their family caregivers is expected to have a therapeutic
benefit for the users and to reduce neuropsychiatric symptoms and change activity levels.
Therefore, the overall impact of this app could prevent or delay pharmacological interventions.
The proposed aims describe our development of app: (1) Tune Den will be created to respond to
changes in heart rate and sedentary behaviors in a wearable device based on movements of
people with ADRD. Depending on the assessment of an individual’s preferred songs and
physiological signal response to those songs, the app will learn participants’ responses and
begin to auto-play playlists, titrating the music dose based on physiological reactions. The
musical experience will be personalized to either positively stimulate or soothe and relax. (2)
We will test the usability of the app. We will recruit an advisory committee of social workers and
music therapists to test the app for two weeks. The stakeholders will report feature functionality
using the Usefulness, Satisfaction and Ease of Use questionnaire. Focus groups will be held to
expand stakeholder’s perception on the acceptability of the app. (3) We will determine the
performance and usability of the app for use by people with ADRD and their family caregivers
providing care at home. Thirty dyads will be recruited to test Tune Den for two weeks. Following
the testing period, family caregivers will complete the USE survey and rate key features like
auto play and music dose. Our study team has expertise in music therapy, aging and neuro-
rehabilitative technologies, and older adults living with dementia and family caregiving. The
successful completion of Phase I will lead to a Phase II study to determine the clinical efficacy of
Tune Den in which we will perform a rigorous trial.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10822232
- **Project number:** 1R41AT012152-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** AUTOTUNE ME LLC
- **Principal Investigator:** Katsuo Kurabayashi
- **Activity code:** R41 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $71,980
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-24 → 2026-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10822232

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10822232, Developing a therapeutic, music-based mobile application to combat neuropsychiatric symptoms in people living with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (1R41AT012152-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10822232. Licensed CC0.

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