Song-writing with GarageBand: Digital Community Music with People Living with MS

Studies

Study Title: Song-writing with GarageBand: Digital Community Music with People Living with MS
Study Description: This project is designed for participants to create digital music with GarageBand music-making software. Utilizing the affordances of everyday digital technologies can provide an accessible opportunity for social engagements and musical interactions. In this project, participants will take part in a 6-week workshop held at the St. Catharines Public Library. Under the guidance of a professional musician, participants will gather weekly as a group to make music. The group will learn about music and create their collective songs using GarageBand. This research project will be led by a Master of Arts in Community Music graduate student from Wilfrid Laurier University to fulfill his graduate research requirements. This study will explore how digital community music impacts those affected by MS and will investigate how digital music-making software, specifically GarageBand, can make music more accessible for people with MS
Recruitment Dates: 2019-05-15 to 2019-07-31
Who can participate: Individuals over the age of 18 that are either living with MS, family members or caregivers of people living with MS.
Location of Trial: St. Catherines, ON
Contact Information: murp3860@mylaurier.ca
Trial Funding: None
 A prospective 24-month investigator sponsored trial to determine the course of cognitive function and how it relates to MRI measures of structural and functional connectivity in healthy controls across time

Studies

Study Title: A prospective 24-month investigator sponsored trial to determine the course of cognitive function and how it relates to MRI measures of structural and functional connectivity in healthy controls across time
Study Description: An observational study to collect neurocognitive data from a healthy, non-MS, untreated control group that will aid in interpreting the data acquired from patients in treatment trials using both individual neurocognitive test scores and the MSCOG composite score. The overall aim is to characterise cognitive function in healthy, non-MS, untreated controls at several times points across a two year period. Secondly to correlate the neurocognitive data with advanced and conventional MRI metrics to better understand the underlying mechanisms of cognition in healthy, non-MS, untreated controls, and how this might differ from patients with MS.
All study participants will undergo the following:

Visit 1 (Month 0):
a) Questionnaires and cognitive games
b) Interview with research staff to collect information about your medical history
c) Have a research MRI


Visit 2 (Month 12):
a) Questionnaires and cognitive games
b) Interview with research staff to collect information about your medical history

Visit 3 (Month 24):
a) Questionnaires and cognitive games
b) Interview with research staff to collect information about your medical history
c) Have a research MRI
Recruitment Dates: 2018-05-22 to 2019-12-31
Who can participate: Neurologically healthy participants without MS, 25-55 years of age, >/= 10 years of education, capable of writing and pressing buttons on a computer mouse, capable of understanding and following all test conditions.
Location of Trial: London Health Sciences Centre
Contact Information: Heather Rosehart
heather.rosehart@lhsc.on.ca
Trial Funding: Genzyme Canada