The inclusion of music into the treatment plan for persons with Parkinson’s disease (PD) may be a viable strategy to target multiple motor symptoms. However, potential mechanisms to explain why music has an impact on multiple motor symptoms in persons with PD remain understudied. The purpose of this study was to examine the acute effects of one hour of group therapeutic singing (GTS) on physiological measures of stress and clinical motor symptoms in persons with PD. We posit that improvement in motor symptoms after GTS may be related to stress reduction. Seventeen participants with PD completed one hour of GTS and eight participants completed one hour of a quiet reading (control session). Cortisol was collected via passive drool immediately before and after the singing and control session. The Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) Part-III (motor examination) was also video-recorded immediately before and after the singing and control session and scored by two raters masked to time and condition. Secondary outcome measures for quality of life, depression, and mood were collected. Results revealed no significant change in cortisol or motor UPDRS scores, as well as no significant relationship between cortisol and motor UPDRS scores. There was a trend for the singing group to report feeling less sad compared to the control group after the one-hour session (effect size = 0.86), and heart rate increased in the singing group while heart rate decreased in the control group after the one-hour session. These results suggest that an acute session of GTS is not unduly stressful and promotes the use of GTS for persons with PD. Multiple mechanisms may underlie the benefits of GTS for persons with PD. Further exploring potential mechanisms by which singing improves motor symptoms in persons with PD will provide greater insight on the therapeutic use of music for persons with PD.

中文翻译：

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集体治疗性歌唱对帕金森病患者皮质醇和运动症状的影响。

将音乐纳入帕金森病 (PD) 患者的治疗计划可能是针对多种运动症状的可行策略。然而，解释为什么音乐对 PD 患者的多种运动症状有影响的潜在机制仍未得到充分研究。本研究的目的是检查一小时集体治疗性歌唱 (GTS) 对 PD 患者压力和临床运动症状的生理测量的急性影响。我们假设 GTS 后运动症状的改善可能与压力减轻有关。17 名患有 PD 的参与者完成了一个小时的 GTS，8 名参与者完成了一个小时的安静阅读（控制会话）。在唱歌和控制会话之前和之后立即通过被动流口水收集皮质醇。统一帕金森病评定量表 (UPDRS) 第三部分（运动检查）也在唱歌和控制会话前后立即进行视频录制，并由两名不知道时间和条件的评分员评分。收集了生活质量、抑郁和情绪的次要结果指标。结果显示皮质醇或运动 UPDRS 评分没有显着变化，皮质醇和运动 UPDRS 评分之间也没有显着关系。一小时后，与对照组相比，唱歌组报告的悲伤感有所减轻（效果大小 = 0.86），唱歌组的心率增加，而对照组的心率在 1 小时后下降-小时会议。这些结果表明，GTS 的急性期不会造成过度压力，并促进了 GTS 对 PD 患者的使用。GTS 对 PD 患者的益处可能是多种机制的基础。进一步探索唱歌改善 PD 患者运动症状的潜在机制，将为 PD 患者的音乐治疗提供更深入的了解。