Music Therapy in Parkinson's Disease

Brief summary (registry, in English)

This study aims to examine whether individual music therapy - involving the slow, gentle bowing of a string instrument, accompanied by the music therapist's singing and lyre playing - can have a relaxing and calming effect on patients with Parkinson's disease and improve anxiety, quality of life, and autonomic dysfunction such as unstable blood pressure. People with Parkinson's disease often struggle with anxiety, apathy, and depression, which can severely affect their quality of life. These symptoms are usually difficult to treat adequately with medication. They are frequently associated with dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system and a reduced variability of heart rate. Both are common in Parkinson's disease and can provide clues about stress and well-being. A healthy heart does not beat at completely regular intervals; instead, the time between beats constantly changes slightly. This fluctuation is called heart rate variability (HRV). Primary study outcome will be anxiety. Motivation, depression, individual quality of life, and severity of autonomic symptoms are also assessed using validated questionnaires. Physical study measures will be HRV, along with stability of blood pressure, intensity of tremor, ability to walk, and also electroencephalography (EEG) to assess brain activity. A subproject will explore whether listening to emotionally evocative music can specifically influence the brain in patients with Parkinson's disease (as measured by EEG) and autonomic functions (as measured by HRV). The effectiveness of an emotional response will be measured by a questionnaire (the Geneva Emotional Music Scale).

What you commit to

• Study type: Interventional
• Planned participants: 50
• From 2 Jun 2026 to the primary completion date, 1 Sept 2028
• 1 site in 1 country
• Visits and tests: ask the trial team, the registry does not list them

Built from the registry fields of ClinicalTrials.gov. It describes the study, not your situation.

Who cannot take part

Copied verbatim from ClinicalTrials.gov and grouped by topic. Only the trial team decides who can take part.

Who the study is looking for

Age in the registry: 50 years to 79 years · Sex: All · Does not accept healthy volunteers

Full criteria on ClinicalTrials.gov

Sites (1)

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