ABSTRACT
A soundcell is defined as a musical unit of meaning with short period of phrase. The soundcell method (SCM) is a musical procedure that decomposes a musical piece into several soundcells and subsequently recomposes the original music with the soundcells arbitrarily scattered. The present investigation aimed to assess cognitive function in the elderly using the SCM. An electronic system realizing the concept and methodology of the SCM was developed, and SCM examination with the school song “Furusato” as the musical piece was performed on18aged females. Four clinical tests were also carried out before or after the SCM examination to screen cognitive function: Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Kana Pick-out Test, and Trail Making Tests A and B. The performance in the SCM examination was compared with the score in the clinical tests. The scores in all four clinical tests were significantly different between subjects who passed and failed the SCM examination. The individuals who passed the SCM examination were not suspected of dementia on the basis of the MMSE and seemed to execute successfully the Kana Pick-out Test. The number of acts and mean act time in the SCM examination were strongly correlated not only with the total score in the MMSE but also with the scores of the two sub-items: attention/calculation and memory recall. The results suggest that the SCM reflects a subject's short-term and recent memory and provides useful supplementary information for early diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease since impairment of memory is frequently observed in the early stage of the diseases. In addition, most subjects enjoyed the SCM examination incorporating the element of musical amusement. The SCM is thus expected to allow repetitive and participatory assessment of cognitive function without imposing a large psychological burden on the subject.