Neurologic Music Therapy for Enhancing Fine Motor Control in Parkinson's Disease

Status: Recruiting
Location: See location...
Intervention Type: Other
Study Type: Interventional
Study Phase: Not Applicable
SUMMARY

Parkinson's Disease (PD) is defined by characteristic motor symptoms including slow movements, small movements, difficulty with movement initiation and disruptions in timing. Besides gross motor symptoms, fine motor impairments in PD cause difficulties with everyday tasks such as writing, self-care, and fine object manipulation. These activity limitations can lead to disability, social isolation, and a reduced quality of life. In a series of breakthrough studies Michael Thaut and colleagues developed Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT) and found it can address many gross motor impairments and improve gait and balance. Other music therapies such as Music-supported Therapy (MST) have proven motor benefits in stroke patients through movement exercises with musical instruments. However, the pathological basal ganglia (BG) in PD brains leads to a reduced supply of those internally generated movements. In contrast, externally cued movements (eg. via a beat or a rhythm) during NMT sessions are instantaneously entrained to the period of a rhythmic stimulus possibly without involvement of the BG. The underlying idea is that rhythm is the essential component relating music specifically to motor behavior. The mechanism of action is called rhythmic entrainment where one system's motion or signal frequency entrains the frequency of another system. The effect of NMT on fine motor function has not been investigated yet. Music activities are important in the lives of many older adults. Notably, the use of music has been associated with increased well-being for older adults, as it fosters social connection and mood regulation. Furthermore, many musical activities have limited physical demands, making them attainable for individuals who are living with mobility impairments or other physical restrictions. Based on the literature and the investigators preliminary studies, the investigators propose to test the efficacy of Neurologic Music Therapy in comparison to Music Supported Therapy and Occupational Therapy (OT) as standard of care on adults in the Parkinson's spectrum. The investigators have defined a working plan using different musical instruments and growing tempo to specifically improve fine motor movements.

Eligibility
Participation Requirements
Sex: All
Minimum Age: 45
Maximum Age: 85
Healthy Volunteers: f
View:

• Age 45 to 85

• Diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease using the UK Brain Bank Criteria

• Fine motor impairments (if available, scores 2 and higher on the UPDRS motor examination part III.23 and 24)

• Medication stable for at least 30 days.

Locations
United States
Colorado
University of Colorado Denver
RECRUITING
Aurora
Contact Information
Primary
Lucas Lattanzio, BA
Lucas.Lattanzio@CUAnschutz.edu
303.724.2205
Backup
Isabelle Buard, PhD
Isabelle.Buard@CUAnschutz.edu
303.724.5973
Time Frame
Start Date: 2017-04-26
Estimated Completion Date: 2025-12-31
Participants
Target number of participants: 100
Treatments
Experimental: Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT)
Neurologic Music Therapy is a 5-week intervention using different musical instruments and auditory cues to specifically improve fine motor movements.
Active_comparator: Occupational Therapy (OT)
Standard of care occupational therapy uses traditional motor training.
No_intervention: Waitlist Control
Participants assigned to the waitlist-control condition will not immediately receive services. The no-treatment duration for these participants is yoked to the amount of time their respective NMT- and OT-condition participants receive services (5 weeks). After the wait period, these participants will then be randomized to receive either NMT, MST or OT sessions.
Active_comparator: Music Supported Therapy (MST)
Music Supported Therapy uses musical instruments to train fine motor movements.
Sponsors
Collaborators: National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)
Leads: University of Colorado, Denver

This content was sourced from clinicaltrials.gov