Harmony in Motion: Discovering the Benefit of Therapeutic Music in Parkinson's Disease Management

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that affects motor control and cognition. Recent studies have begun to assess non-pharmacologic treatments for PD to improve motor function, cognition, and wellbeing. One such treatment is Music Therapy (MT). Music can be utilized in numerous ways to address the motor and non-motor symptoms of PD, including vocal control, gait, cognition, and emotional wellbeing. In addition, recent work is evaluating the specific effects of music on the brain in patients with PD, utilizing fMRI and EEG to evaluate the impact. This review assesses the impact of different MT methods on treatment of PD symptoms, as well as the neuroimaging and behavioral methods utilized in the existing research. Our research suggests that MT can improve both motor and non-motor symptoms of PD, but more longitudinal studies and personalized music interventions are needed to determine the long-term effects of MT for PD. In addition, we propose a questionnaire that could be utilized by clinicians to assess the efficacy of MT in real-life clinical practice.