Dance for PD: a preliminary investigation of effects on motor function and quality of life among persons with Parkinson's disease (PD).

In 2001, Dance for Parkinson's disease (DfPD(®)) classes for persons with Parkinson's disease and care partners were developed by Brooklyn Parkinson Group and Mark Morris Dance Group. A previous assessment suggested that individuals experience positive benefits from DfPD(®). The current preliminary uncontrolled study investigated the effects of a dance intervention on several motor and quality of life aspects of PD following 16 sessions (8 weeks; 20 h) taught by professional dancers/teachers. A mixed methods design was used to determine the effects of the class. Assessment instruments administered at baseline and post-intervention included the Hoehn and Yahr, UPDRS (part III), Berg Balance Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, and PDQ-39 and individual interviews after the last class. Hoehn and Yahr scores ranged from 1 to 4. UPDRS III total scores and sub scores of gait and tremor improved following the intervention (P < 0.05). During interviews participants reported physical, emotional, and social benefits. Despite the diversity of baseline measures post-class interview results were consistently positive across the sample. Twelve of 14 subjects (mean age 66.2) with idiopathic PD completed the sessions. After 4 years, four participants regularly attended DfPD(®) classes. The low attrition rate and continued attendance suggest notable adherence to the DfPD(®) class. The importance of the results is both clinical and conceptual, highlighting the value of using both quantitative and qualitative data to evaluate the benefits of dance with PD.

Dynamics of oscillatory changes associated with the perception of human motion.

Neurophysiological evidence suggests that a specialized cortical network is involved in the visual perception of biological motion; however, the temporal dynamics underlying this network is largely unexplored. We used magnetoencephalography to determine the spatial distribution and task-related temporal dynamics of the oscillatory activity of random and human motion. We recorded cortical responses in healthy adults while they passively viewed point-light displays of static dots, random, and human motion. By analyzing differences in the time-frequency distributions between pairs of conditions, we found that: (a) the perception of both motion conditions resulted in a significant decrease in the α/ß band in the right superior occipital gyrus and a significant decrease in the ß band in the right insula and (b) the human motion condition was associated with specific alterations in α, ß, and γ bands with significant reductions in the α band in the right superior temporal gyrus, right precuneus, and left inferior parietal lobule, significant reductions in the ß band in the bilateral superior temporal gyrus, together with a significant increase in the γ band in the left inferior parietal lobule and superior temporal regions. These data suggest that although the perception of both random and human motion involves desynchronization of oscillatory activity in α and ß bands in similar cortical regions, only human motion is associated with a larger network and significant alterations in the α/ß band particularly in the right hemisphere.