Weekly Dance Training Slows Parkinson Disease Impairment

Weekly dance training stalled the progression of motor and non-motor symptoms over 3 years in a small group of patients with mild to moderate Parkinson disease, according to a pilot study published online in Brain Sciences.

“Previous longitudinal studies suggest an annual decline in motor function, whereas our cohort shows that the annual motor impairment is drastically reduced,” researchers wrote. “These findings strongly suggest the benefits of dance in people with Parkinson disease as a supplement to a normal treatment regimen.”

The study assessed data for 32 people with Parkinson disease over a 3-year period. Sixteen participants, average age 69, took part in a weekly 1.25-hour dance class, which included both aerobic and anaerobic movements. Sessions consisted of a seated warm-up, barre work, and moving across the floor. Participants also learned choreography.

According to the study, dance participants had a daily motor rate of decline of zero, reflecting no motor impairment, over 3 years. Patients who did not take the dance classes, however, showed expected motor decline.

Furthermore, dance participants showed no significant decline in non-motor aspects of daily living, motor experiences of daily living, or motor complications, researchers reported.

“The experience of performing and being in a studio environment with dance instructors appears to provide benefits,” said study author Joseph DeSouza, associate professor in the psychology department at York University.

“Generally, what we know is that dance activates brain areas in those without Parkinson’s disease. For those with Parkinson disease, even when it’s mild, motor impairment can impact their daily functioning… These motor symptoms lead to further psychological issues, depression, social isolation, and eventually the symptoms do get worse over time. Our study shows that training with dance and music can slow this down and improve their daily living and daily function.”

They plan to follow up the pilot study with a randomized, controlled trial.

References:
Bearss KA, DeSouza JFX. Parkinson’s disease motor symptom progression slowed with multisensory dance learning over 3-years: a preliminary longitudinal investigation. Brain Sci. 2021;11(7):895.

Dancing with music can halt most debilitating symptoms of Parkinson’s disease [press release]. York University; July 7, 2021.