Introducing MELODIC !
We are excited and proud to present our new project MELODIC, a large-scale longitudinal randomized study that will keep us busy for at least the next four years! In preparation for a long time, the project officially began in the fall 2024 with funding applications, team assembly, ethical approval from the CIUSSS-CN Neuroscience Research Ethics Committee, the purchase of equipment, the recording of stimuli, and the elaboration of tests, MRI sequences, and protocols. The project will be divided into four waves of data collection over four years, during which 150 participants will be recruited. The first wave began in May 2025. Participant recruitment took place from May to July, and data collection started in July. It will continue until next spring and then follow the same schedule in 2026, 2027, and 2028!
The project is led by Pascale Tremblay, along with two students: Alexandre Sicard, a doctoral student in rehabilitation sciences, who is studying the short- and long-term effects of musical practice on the attention system, particularly on brain structure, and Maélie Royal, a master’s student in rehabilitation sciences, who is interested in comparing the effects of a musical activity and a non-musical activity on speech perception in noise. Several other team members are also involved: Mélissa Dion, lab coordinator; Shani-Li Madore, research intern and undergraduate student in biomedical sciences; Marie-Hélène Thériault, research assistant and undergraduate student in speech-language sciences; and Jade Deschênes, Ariane Gagnon, and Élodie Elmaleh, master’s students in speech-language pathology. Belinda Boudi and Marianne Bouvette, two former research interns and undergraduate students in biomedical sciences, also contributed to the project during their internship earlier this semester. The project team also includes several co-researchers and collaborators: Maude Desjardins, speech-language pathologist and professor at the School of Rehabilitation Sciences at Université Laval; Philippe Albouy, professor at the School of Psychology at Université Laval; Isabelle Peretz, professor in the Department of Psychology at Université de Montréal; and Frank Russo, professor of psychology at Toronto Metropolitan University and Scientific Director of the SingWell research group.
The MELODIC project investigates the effects of group leisure activities on brain function, communication, cognition, and well-being. Its goal is to better understand how certain activities can promote healthy aging by supporting communication and cognitive functions. Within the project, we compare the impacts of a group musical activity with those of a non-musical group activity. A control group allows us to account for learning effects and the passage of time, as control participants complete all tests but do not take part in any activity.
Participation in the project is intensive! Indeed, the study involves 7 visits to the CERVO Brain Research Centre and 4 phone calls. Specifically, after an initial screening interview, participants are randomly assigned to one of three groups (two activity groups and one control group). This procedure—randomization—allows for systematic and reliable comparisons between groups. The first two groups take part in a group activity for 15 weeks (one weekly session of approximately 2.5 hours) led by professionals. The third group, the control group, completes all data collection sessions but does not participate in any activity.
Each phase of the project is conducted over a 7-month period (Figure 2), which allows us to track the evolution of the activities’ effects over time.
Data collection overview
MRI sessions
The first MRI session (Figure 3), lasting approximately two hours, begins with several questionnaires, including consent forms and questions to gather general information about the participants to adding to the initial phone interview (employment, leisure activities, etc.). This is followed by an MRI session. This one-hour session includes measures of brain anatomy and function. During the measurement of brain activity, participants complete a sentence-listening task, which will allow us to analyze how participating in a social activity affects language processing. After the MRI session, cognitive tests are conducted, measuring verbal inhibition, lexical access, short-term memory, and working memory.
The second MRI session (mid-training) is shorter and includes only certain anatomical measures. The third MRI session (post-training) is similar to the first, with some cognitive tests repeated. Finally, the fourth MRI session (three months after the end of the activities) is similar to the second.
Laboratory Sessions
The first laboratory session (Figure 3) begins with a series of breathing tests, followed by vocal tasks (vowel production, speech production, and sentence reading). Next, assessments of hearing (pure-tone audiometry and central hearing), language (lexical decision, auditory working memory, articulation), and auditory attention are conducted. The session ends with a measurement of brain activity using electroencephalography (EEG). During the EEG, participants complete a speech perception in noise task, as well as a resting-state sequence (Figure 5).
During the second session (mid-training), all assessments are repeated except for hearing and breathing tests. The third session (post-training) includes all assessments, including the breathing tests. Finally, the last session (three months after the end of the activities) includes all assessments except for breathing and hearing.
All laboratory sessions last approximately three hours.
Phone Interviews
At each time point, a phone interview is conducted. This includes several questionnaires focusing mainly on quality of life, mood, stress level, and well-being.
Final note
We would like to thank all the participants who agreed to take part in this large-scale project, as well as our wonderful group animators —Joël, Josée, and Sylvie (Figure 6)—without whom the project would not be possible!
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