Acute Effects of Singing on Motor Symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease

Abstract

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is caused by neurodegeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the basal ganglia which leads to many motor symptoms. Previous research shows that singing significantly improves swallow and respiratory function, as well as quality of life in people with PD. From observation, it was noted that other motor symptoms, such as tremor and walking difficulties, also improved after singing. The purpose of this study is to examine the acute effects of singing on motor symptoms in people with PD. We hypothesize that after one hour of singing, participants will demonstrate a reduction in the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) motor score from pre to post assessment. Seventeen non-demented persons diagnosed with PD were given the UPDRS before and after one hour of group singing. Results revealed a significant drop of 3 points in motor UPDRS score from pre to post assessment. Specifically, improvements in upper extremity repetitive movements, posture, and tremor contributed the most to the significant finding. Previous work has shown that engaging in preferred music increased dopamine production. Taken together, these results suggest that singing could improve the effectiveness of synthetic dopamine delivery to regions of the brain impaired in PD thereby improving motor symptoms.