Dancing helps slow memory impairment in Parkinson's disease

This is the conclusion reached by researchers at York University (Canada) in an article in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.

Associate Professor Joseph DeSouza of York University's Faculty of Health Sciences, one of the authors of the paper, emphasises: in Parkinson's, gradual deterioration of cognitive function is almost always expected, especially over many years.

"The classic course of Parkinson's disease is a progressive deterioration of cognitive and motor function. Some people are already severely impaired by the time they are diagnosed," DeSouza says. - So the fact that there was no further cognitive decline in the dance group over six years we think is very significant."

How the study went

The study, published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, included:

• 43 people with Parkinson's disease who regularly engaged in special dance programmes:

  • Sharing Dance Parkinson's (National Ballet of Canada),

  • Dance for Parkinson's Disease (Trinity St. Paul's Church, Toronto);

• 28 patients with Parkinson's disease who lead sedentary lifestyles and do not participate in any physical activity - this group served as the control group.

The structure of the dance classes was quite gentle and adapted to the patients:

• sitting warm-up,

• "exersises at the barre",

• dance combinations at the end of the class.

One of the groups additionally learnt full-fledged choreography for performance - that is, the load included memory training, work with space, and interaction with partners.

What the results showed

Participants in the dance group had improved cognitive performance compared to the control group, which showed either no change or mild deterioration.

According to the study's first author, University of York master's student Simran Rupraj, the data suggests that dancing can:

• help preserve cognitive function,

• and, in some cases, produce mild improvement in people with Parkinson's disease.

"We can't 'fix' the brain," says Ruprai. - But we are trying to show that with dance, we can delay further cognitive deterioration."

Parkinson's disease is commonly associated with tremor and movement disorders, but about 4 out of 5 patients eventually experience severe cognitive problems as well.

DeSouza's team has previously shown that dancing helps with depression and movement symptoms of Parkinson's. The new study confirms that the effects extend to the brain as well.

Why dancing works

"Dance engages multiple parts of the brain," explains Rupraj. - During the activity, a person:

• listens to music,

• learns new moves,

• memorises sequences,

• interacts with other participants, and observes the space around them.

In other words, dance is a physical, mental and social activityat the same time."

It is this combination that scientists believe helps slow the cognitive decline that often accompanies Parkinson's disease.

What's next

DeSouza and Rupray are already preparing a follow-up study in collaboration with Baycrest Academy for Research and Education. They will now separately study how weekly dance classes affect working memory inpeople with Parkinson's disease.

"Given how multifaceted the effects of dance on cognition are, we expect to see further improvements," notes DeSouza.