Moving Yourself in Space and Time Identifying Spatial and Temporal Components of Complex Rhythmic Movement Training for People With Parkinson's Disease and Cognitive Impairment

Summary

This study is being done to answer the question: Do people with Parkinson's benefit from a new stepping therapy, and how do people with Parkinson's best learn new steps and rhythms set to music? Researchers will also compare individuals with Parkinson's Disease with people with Mild Cognitive Impairment, and with people with neither of these conditions. The purpose of this study is to identify principles of human-music interactions to establish underlying guiding theories for application to music-based rehabilitation for older populations with neurodegenerative disease, leading to more refined and targeted music-based rhythmic movement therapies.

Description

Eligibility

Age range

18–79 years

Sex

All

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Interventions

• Other
  Complex Rhythmic Movement Sequences (CRMS) Sessions

  Researchers will establish complex rhythmic movement sequences (CRMS) as an experimental paradigm to identify spatial and temporal components and learning time courses of complex rhythmic movement. Participants will dance with new partners every 15-20 minutes, a widely practiced method of the dance community to enhance learning. The class format is: 1. practicing previously learned steps 2. 25-minute warmup, partnering/rhythmic exercises 3. learning new steps 4. combining old and new steps 5. cool down Participants dance both leading and following roles, learn how to interpret motor goals through touch, and perform activities to foster understanding of the temporal relationship of movement to music.

Location