Objective: To evaluate the effects of musical sonification on handwriting performance in individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD).

Background: Parkinsonian dysgraphia is specifically characterized by the loss of motor control in handwriting. Since music has been shown to improve motor control in patients with PD, we considered in this experiment testing the strategy of musical sonification to manage PD dysgraphia. This method of augmented reality changes music as functions of handwriting kinematics in such a way that writing movements shape and reshape music.

Methods: Twelve PD patients (on medication) and 12 healthy controls have been recruited for a “pre-test/training/post-test” experiment design. Three different training sessions were compared, for which participants were asked to produce graphomotor exercises: one session with music (unrelated to handwriting), one with musical sonification (related to handwriting), and one in silence. The training order was randomized between participants. During the tests (all in silence), participants were required to draw loops, to write the French word “cellule” (cell) in cursive, and to make their own signature. All participants were tested just before and after each training.

Results: Prior to the first training, both groups performed similarly, except for the signature that was slower for the PD patients. The performances during the training were better under musical sonification than under silence or music, for both groups. Significant improvements for the production of loops and words were found for both groups: velocity and trace length were respectively higher and longer, after the training with musical sonification than after training with music and silence.

Conclusions: The interest of this study goes beyond the rehabilitation of Parkinsonian dysgraphia: it provides a proof of concept to study musical sonification as a new auditory guidance strategy for movement rehabilitation in PD patient.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/musical-sonification-for-the-rehabilitation-of-parkinsonian-dysgraphia-behavioural-validation/