Music as Add-On Therapy in the Rehabilitation Program of Parkinson's Disease Patients-A Romanian Pilot Study.

Dana Marieta Fodor,Xenia-Melania Breda,Monica Mihaela Marta,Lacramioara Perju-Dumbrava,Dan Valean

doi:10.3390/brainsci11050569

Dana Marieta Fodor, Xenia-Melania Breda + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11050569

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Abstract

Music has been proven to have therapeutic potential in neurological disorders, especially Parkinson’s disease (PD), since rhythmic auditory cueing can partially replace the progressive loss of rhythmicity and automaticity. Several reports have highlighted improvements in motor outcomes in PD patients undergoing music therapy, but only a few studies have evaluated non-motor outcomes, such as quality of life (QoL), which deteriorates with disease progression. The current pilot study aims to examine the effects of a multimodal rehabilitation program centered on physical therapy combined with listening to music on self-reported QoL in people with PD, compared to the same rehabilitation program alone. The study was conducted on patients with idiopathic PD who attended a specific rehabilitation program with a duration of 2.5 h daily for 14 days. The patients were divided into the study group (16 patients), who listened to background music during the rehabilitation program sessions, and the control group who did not listen to music during sessions. The patients were assessed using the self-report Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39) at the beginning of the program and 1 month after its initiation. The patients in the study group registered greater improvements in five of the eight areas of life assessed by PDQ-39 compared to the control group. In conclusion, listening to music combined with a multimodal rehabilitation program centered on physical therapy may be beneficial for the patients’ quality of life.

Highlights

Music represents a special stimulus, with a strong and complex modulatory effect on the central nervous system, as well as a demonstrated emotional, cognitive and motor impact
By comparing the mean values of the results of the PDQ-39 scale, statistically significant results were obtained between the final and initial evaluation in both groups
Concerning the eight life areas of PDQ-39, we found greater improvements in all of them compared to the control group, which were statistically significant in five areas: ADLs, emotional well-being, social support, communication and bodily discomfort

Summary

Introduction

Music represents a special stimulus, with a strong and complex modulatory effect on the central nervous system, as well as a demonstrated emotional, cognitive and motor impact. Studies have shown that rhythmic entrainment through rhythmic auditory cueing, alone or through music therapy, can provide external cues that facilitate the initiation and synchronization of movements This is because it opens new pathways that enhance auditory–motor coupling at the cortical level and activates the cerebellum–thalamic–cortical circuitry which bypasses the impaired striatal-cortical circuitry [2,3,4,5,6,7,8]. Improvements in non-motor symptoms such as anxiety, depression or cognitive functions have been described as effects of music therapy [12,15,16]

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