EXAMINING MUSIC-BASED AUDITORY CUES FOR UPPER-EXTREMITY MOVEMENT REHABILITATION IN PARKINSON’S DISEASE

Abstract

Physical rehabilitation is an established goal area for board-certified music therapists to target with clients, as outlined by the American Music Therapy Association, and there is a line of research that supports the use of rhythm to facilitate gait in people with neurologic impairments. However, there is no cohesive line of research that supports the use of individual musical elements beyond rhythm to facilitate volitional movements in people with neurologic impairments. The purpose of this dissertation is to expand knowledge of music-based cueing for upper extremity motor outcomes in people with Parkinson’s disease (PD). To do this, the studies in this dissertation examine music-based intervention reporting, rationales, and outcomes in people with PD from previous studies, and examine movement quality and movement experience outcomes among different music-based cueing conditions in people with PD. Outcomes from these studies indicate a limited presence of existing research with a specific focus on upper-extremity rehabilitation through the use of music-based interventions in people with PD, and that intervention descriptions have been largely incomplete. The experimental samples from existing literature suggest that auditory cues that implement more musical elements in addition to rhythm yielded higher quality movement performance, and the use of preferred music resulted in greater movement enjoyment and decreased perceived movement intensity compared to rhythmic cueing and conditions without auditory cueing. This knowledge contributes to a better understanding of the optimal use of music to facilitate motor outcomes in neurorehabilitation settings. These studies contribute to a line of research that informs decision-making for music therapists when approaching upper-extremity motor goals with adults diagnosed with PD.