Adding a swing to your step may be all you need to reduce symptoms of depression in some people with Parkinson’s disease, a new study suggests.
A small study recently published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research found that patients who took dance classes for months experienced reduced depression.
In addition to reducing symptoms of depression in Parkinson’s patients, researchers say brain scans showed changes in brain regions associated with mood.
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Joseph D’Souza, associate professor of neuroscience and senior research scientist at York University in Toronto, Canada, said: “It was really cool to see that the images showed that dance had a positive effect on the brain’s mood circuitry.” said. University news release.
“These improvements seen in the MRI brain scans were also reported by participants in the survey,” DeSouza said.
The new study followed dance program participants diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and healthy individuals (not pictured). Depressive symptoms were reduced in participants. (St. Petersburg)
“Our study is the first to demonstrate the benefits across these two detection methods,” he also said, as reported by news agency SWNS.
The study followed 23 participants in the National Ballet School of Canada’s Sharing Dance Parkinson’s Disease Program who were diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and 11 healthy participants, including relatives of patients.
The team measured mood and depression scores for all participants.
Participants took weekly dance classes for eight months, progressing from simple leg and footwork and pliés to interpretive movements, waltzes and more complex choreographed dances, the newspaper reported.
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The researchers focused on the subcallosal cingulate (SCG), a section of the brain that has been shown to be involved in depression in previous studies.
The team measured mood and depression scores for all participants using recognized scales before and after each class, and also conducted regular MRI scans in York.
According to the researchers, brain scans taken during the study showed changes in the patients’ brain regions associated with mood (not shown). (St. Petersburg)
They found that reported depression rates decreased after each dance class. The effects were cumulative for each class, with “significant” improvements seen after eight months.
The research team also found that MRI scans showed reduced signals in brain regions of the frontal cortex associated with emotion regulation, and that in a smaller subset of participants, significant reductions in depression scores were associated with SCG nodes. They also found that it was correlated with change.
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“We essentially showed that the SCG blood oxygen concentration-dependent signal decreases over time during dancing,” said co-author Dr. Carolina Beas, a professor at Algoma University in Canada. Ta.
The research team noted that Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease.
“Patients with Parkinson’s disease tend to have multiple symptoms that are not just motor-related.” (St. Petersburg)
Diagnosis is preceded by a “prodromal phase” that lasts 2 to 10 years. It is characterized by feeling depressed even before other symptoms such as tremors appear.
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“People with Parkinson’s disease tend to have multiple symptoms that aren’t just motor-related,” says Bears. “There are many conditions that include impairments in mental and social well-being, one of which is depression.”
“What we’re trying to do is help people have a better quality of life.”
The new study builds on the team’s previous three-year study, which found that dance training helps motor control, mood, and other daily functioning in people with Parkinson’s disease.
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Dancing is thought to have dual benefits, as the music activates the brain’s reward centers and the movement engages sensory and motor circuits.
Professor DeSouza, who has been dancing with participants in the program for 14 years, said that while dance itself is not a cure for Parkinson’s disease, its benefits are clear, according to the report.
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She added: “We’re not trying to cure Parkinson’s disease with dance. What we’re trying to do is help people live a better quality of life. and the families who care for them,” he added. – It also has the benefit of making you feel better. ”
The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Disease Research notes that up to half of people with Parkinson’s disease suffer from depression or anxiety at some point.
Previous research conducted at the University of Sydney found that structured dance (regardless of genre) is commonly used in combination with other types to improve psychological and cognitive outcomes in healthy people as well as people with chronic illnesses. It was found to be as effective as, or even more effective than, physical activity.
