Parkinson's disease is a progressive disorder of the nervous system, mainly affecting the motor system.
It develops gradually and its symptoms include tremor especially in the arms, hands, legs, jaw and face, while voice impairments impact about 60 to 80% of its patients.
Parkinson's therapy through singing has been previously tested, but results have varied. A new study led by Elizabeth Stegemöller was the first to test if improvements in symptoms can be affected by dosage, or the time spent in singing.
“I believe that music evolved as an initial method of communication before formal language was developed”, said Stegemöller .
The study revealed that after two months of singing, major improvements in pitch duration, vocal loudness and swallow control were observed in patients, which eventually improves their quality of life.
"With people who have Parkinson's disease, what you're hoping for is maintaining these skills - because it's a progressive disease. If we can improve the voice, then maybe there's hope to maintain that function a little bit longer,” added Stegemöller.
"I would also like to examine the associated brain changes and develop methods to bring this music therapy-led intervention to as many persons with Parkinson's disease as possible." She stated.