Faculty
Social Science
Supervisor Name
Dr. Jessica Grahn
Keywords
Parkinson's, gait, music, walking
Description
Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the basal ganglia. This causes abnormal movements/gait among other symptoms. The basal ganglia is also involved in beat perception; the loss of neurons in this area decreases beat-based rhythm discrimination. This may have implications for walking as impaired beat perception may affect rhythm generation, and walking is a rhythmic movement. Music has the potential to benefit Parkinson’s patients in gait rehabilitation by providing external rhythmic cues. Various aspects of music are currently being investigated to determine which ones most prominently improve gait in Parkinson’s disease. One of the tools used to conduct this research on the impact of music qualities on gait is the gait mat.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Kristi von Handorf, for providing me with resources and direction in learning about music and gait research, and Chantal Rochon for introducing me to the lab and for her support in navigating the research environment. I would also like to thank Dr. Jessica Grahn for her support and guidance throughout my internship, as well as all the members of the Grahn Lab for their teaching and encouragement during my time in the lab. Finally, I would like to thank the USRI program for their guidance and scholarship.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Document Type
Poster
Included in
Music and Movement: Techniques and Directions in Parkinson's Research
Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the basal ganglia. This causes abnormal movements/gait among other symptoms. The basal ganglia is also involved in beat perception; the loss of neurons in this area decreases beat-based rhythm discrimination. This may have implications for walking as impaired beat perception may affect rhythm generation, and walking is a rhythmic movement. Music has the potential to benefit Parkinson’s patients in gait rehabilitation by providing external rhythmic cues. Various aspects of music are currently being investigated to determine which ones most prominently improve gait in Parkinson’s disease. One of the tools used to conduct this research on the impact of music qualities on gait is the gait mat.