SINGING IMPROVES PARKINSON'S SYMPTOMS AND QUALITY OF LIFE

.Parkinson' s disease is a degenerative
disorder of the central nervous system.

A study suggests group singing appears to
relieve some of the symptoms not currently
targeted by existing treatments.

The symptoms of Parkinson's include tremor,
particularly in the hands, arms, legs, face and
jaw. It causes a slowness in movement, problems
with balance and emotional changes.

These symptoms are often the prime focus of
research, but they are not the only life-
changing difficulties that Parkinson's disease
presents.

Impairments in breathing and voice are also
substantial hurdles that cause a significant
drop in quality of life.
Voice impairments impact 60-80% of
Parkinson's patients. Their voice can become
monotone and display less variety in volume;
there may also be a reduced vocal intensity
and pitch, and a harsh, breathy voice.

Standard Parkinson's treatments do not target
these aspects with the same level of success as
the motor symptoms. Deep brain stimulation of
the subthalamic nucleus, which relieves many
of Parkinson's classic symptoms, can, in fact,
make voice alterations worse.

Parkinson' s voice therapies

Although there are various interventions
designed to improve voice and breathing
deficits, they do not tend to address overall
quality of life, and, as symptoms progress,
drop out rates of these therapies are often
high. This means that even the most beneficial
therapies do not always have the opportunity
to take full effect.

Researchers at Iowa State University, led by
Elizabeth Stegemöller, set out to investigate
whether group singing could help relieve some
of the voice symptoms of Parkinson's disease
and, at the same time, increase quality of life
and whole health measures.

Singing is a culturally universal pastime that
improves bonding and produces a sense of
belonging that traditional therapies often
cannot match. Additionally, singing can be
considered an elongated type of speech with
particular emphasis on rhythm, tempo, tonal
changes and respiratory control.

Parkinson's therapy involving singing has been
trialed in previous studies, but findings have
been mixed. This study is the first to test
whether improvements in symptoms can be
affected by "dosage," in other words, can two
singing sessions a week be more effective than
one?

Can singing relieve the symptoms?

The trial consisted of 27 Parkinson's patients
who attended group singing sessions either
once or twice a week. Before and after the 8-
week trial, swallowing measures and voice
measures, such as the patient's vocal range
and how long they could hold a note, were
recorded.

Therapy sessions involved vocal exercises,
followed by renditions of popular songs,
including "You Are My Sunshine" and "Show Me
The Way To Go Home."

The researchers found that, after 2 months of
singing, there were significant improvements in
pitch duration, vocal loudness and swallow
control.

Both groups (one session per week and twice
per week) demonstrated a significant
improvement in maximum inspiratory and
expiratory pressure, as well as phonation time.

Other voice measures improved, but not to a
statistically significant degree.
Importantly, questionnaires that assessed the
impact of voice changes on their quality of
life (and their overall quality of life) showed
significant improvements.

'Singing addresses social and emotional
aspects '