Ames, Iowa — An Iowa State researcher is studying how singing can help those who have Parkinson’s disease.
Elizabeth Stegemoller says Parkinson’s disease affects an area of the brain that controls movement and she’s trying to find out how music impacts its symptoms.
Stegemoller is an associate professor of kinesiology, and a music therapist with a doctorate in neuroscience, She says the first music study found patients were helped with their breathing and the muscles used for swallowing.
She says one study found other benefits as well.
One of the symptoms of Parkinson’s that is most noticeable are the tremors that cause movement and says another study found similar movement results.
Stegemoller says the symptoms can vary greatly among patients, so she is not trying to come up with one singing plan for everyone.
She says Parkinson’s is the second most common neurodegenerative disease behind Alzheimer’s.
Stegemoller received a three-year grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to determine the underlying mechanisms by which singing helps improve symptoms of those with Parkinson’s disease.
