Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation on Upper-limb Movements in PD Patients

Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to examine effects of training involving rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS) on upper-limb movements and functions in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD).

This study employed a 21-day randomized controlled trial design to evaluate the efficacy of upper-limb training involving RAS on upper-limb function and neural activity in PD patients. The RAS group showed sustained improvements at one-month follow-up.

Conditions

• Acoustic Stimulation
• Parkinson Disease
• Movement, Abnormal
• Bradykinesia
• Arm

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Upper-limb movement training with the aid of RAS

Three target bowls, labeled as the left, middle, and right target bowl, will be placed on the table at an equal distance from the main bowl. The distance between a target bowl and the main bowl is set at 30 cm. Wooden beads with a diameter of 2 cm will be put in target bowls. The main bowl will be placed in front of the patient. Patients will be asked to listen to the RAS sound, use the right hand to take one bead at a time from the left target bowl to the main bowl, repeat this movement for the middle and right target bowls, and keep repeating this order. They should keep their movements consistent with the sound of the RAS, with one RAS sound corresponding to one pick-up movement. Each daily training will consist of three rounds separated by two 5-minute breaks. Each round will consist of four consecutive sessions (for each session: 2-minute training followed by a 30-second break). The training will last for a total of 21 days.

BEHAVIORAL

Upper-limb movement training without the aid of RAS

Three target bowls, labeled as the left, middle, and right target bowl, will be placed on the table at an equal distance from the main bowl. The distance between a target bowl and the main bowl is set at 30 cm. Wooden beads with a diameter of 2 cm will be put in target bowls. The main bowl will be placed in front of the patient. Patients will be asked to use the right hand to take one bead at a time from the left target bowl to the main bowl, repeat this movement for the middle and right target bowls, and keep repeating this order. They are asked to execute the task as fast as possible. Each daily training will consist of three rounds separated by two 5-minute breaks. Each round will consist of four consecutive sessions (for each session: 2-minute training followed by a 30-second break). The training will last for a total of 21 days.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Wei FAN (PhD student), MSc · The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2023-10-01

Primary Completion

2024-12-31

Completion

2025-12-31

Countries

• China

Study Locations