PD4PD:Partnered Dance for Parkinson Disease

The Washington University

Status and phase

Completed

Phase 3

Phase 2

Conditions

Parkinson Disease

Treatments

Behavioral: Tango dancing

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

Identifiers

NCT01388556

PD4PD-09-0168

PDF (Other Grant/Funding Number)

Details and patient eligibility

About

Exercise is often noted as an important component in a comprehensive approach to the management of Parkinson disease (PD). Most studies of exercise have examined the effects of short-term interventions and have tested participants on their anti-Parkinson medications. As such, these studies have not been able to determine whether or not exercise may have a disease-modifying effect in people with PD. The investigators recent work has shown the potential benefits of dance as a form of exercise for individuals with PD, but, like previous work, has only examined short-term interventions. The investigators think that dance may be ideally suited for study over a longer period of time because dance incorporates many of the features recommended for inclusion in PD-specific exercise programs in a format that is known to be engaging and to enhance motivation to participate in healthful behaviors. As such, the investigators aim to determine both the short- and long-term effectiveness of a community-based dance program for individuals with Parkinson disease and to determine how physical function changes over time in individuals with PD who do not exercise as compared to those who exercise regularly. The investigators hypothesize that:

A) participation in dance will result in improved physical function, cognitive function, mood and quality of life in people with PD within 3 months,

B) additional improvements will be noted at 6 months as compared to 3 months,

C) improvements will be maintained at one year with continued, regular participation in a dance class,

D) those who do not exercise will show significant functional decline over a period of one year, a decline that will not be present in those who dance regularly.

Enrollment

62 patients

Sex

All

Ages

30+ years old

Volunteers

No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

normal central and peripheral neurological function
at least grade 4/5 strength and normal joint ranges of motion in both legs, - vision corrected to 20/40 or better
able to walk independently for 10 feet with or without an assistive device, - normal somatosensory function in the feet (2-point discrimination, vibration, joint kinesthesia, and light touch)
no history of vestibular disease

Exclusion criteria

serious medical problem
evidence of abnormality other than PD-related changes on brain imaging (previously done for clinical evaluations-not part of this research)
history or evidence of neurological deficit other than PD that could interfere, such as previous stroke or muscle disease
history or evidence of orthopedic, muscular, or psychological problem