Requesting Research Subjects
The Center for Biomedical Research in Music at
To qualify to enter the study, we are looking for people
with Parkinson’s Disease and who have fallen at least
2 times in the last 6 months. You will also need to be able to walk
independently with or without an assistive device (cane or walker) for at least
5 minutes on level surfaces.
Please call Ruth Rice, Physical Therapist at 214-3352 if you are interested in participating in this study.
Neuroscience of Rhythm
Our current work in the neuroscience of rhythm
perception and rhythmic synchronization mechanisms has produced results in 3
major areas:
1)
Empirical data and computational modeling of how
the brain synchronizes rhythmic movement to external rhythm;
2)
Evidence for subliminal perception of auditory
timing information below the level of conscious perception, which the brain
nevertheless uses to guide the timing of rhythmic movement;
3)
Brain mapping using PET-scanning technology to
describe neural networks involved in rhythmic synchronization.
In conjunction with groups in Germany (Duesseldorf University: Department of Neurology and
Neurological Therapy Center; Federal Research Center Juelich)and Italy (IRCCS Santa Lucia and IESS-CNR, Rome) we were
recently able to map the cortical and subcortical
areas in the brain, involving parieto-thalamic, cerebellar, and frontal networks, that are active and
contribute to the process of auditory rhythm perception and rhythmic motor
synchronization. These studies into brain function also revealed the different neuroanatomical areas active during different levels of
perceptual awareness and consciousness in the brain when processing external
sensory information. The different levels of human consciousness appear to be
linked to differential activation patterns in the prefrontal cortex. We showed
how even subliminal auditory timing information is processed in the auditory
cortex and translated into precise changes in the timing of movement without
cognitive awareness and learning. We recently developed a data driven model,
which models mathematically the strong and fast physiological attractor or
'magnet' function of auditory rhythm to influence the timing of movement. All
these studies, employing neurophysiological data
recording such as Positron Emission Tomography and Magnetic and Electric
Encephalography, contributed new knowledge to the study of sensorimotor
integration in the brain, the role of perception in action, and how the brain
perceives and produces rhythm.
Neurologic Rehabilitation
The area of neurologic rehabilitation our research
findings have focused on 3 areas:
1) The application of rhythmic entrainment to facilitate and improve the
long-term gait ability of patients with stroke, Parkinson's disease, cerebral
palsy, and traumatic brain injury;
2) First evidence that rhythmic stimulation might also work in the
rehabilitation of arm functions;
3) Data and computational models of the mechanisms showing why auditory
rhythm stabilizes and optimizes movement kinematics in therapeutic training.
Our group (associate faculty, postdoctoral fellows,
graduate students from neurology, physical and music therapy, biomechanics,
mathematics, electrical engineering, physics) discovered in first experiments
in 1990 that the strong synchronization effect of rhythm on gait movements has
a profound facilitating effect on the gait ability of stroke patients. Research
experiments synchronizing gait patterns to auditory rhythm led to dramatic gait
improvements in speed, symmetry, and muscle activation patterns in patients
whose gait ability was severely compromised. Further rehabilitation studies
have shown by now that rhythmic training can also produce sustainable
improvements in gait recovery over longer periods of time. Since then, other
patient groups have been successfully researched as well, most notably patients
with Parkinson's disease, traumatic brain injury, and cerebral palsy. Most
recent studies show that the use of the upper extremities can also be improved
with rhythmically patterned movement training. This research has been
introduced at numerous international medical and rehabilitation conferences,
and is being practiced at several large rehabilitation centers in the
Neurologic Music Therapy
Our research has facilitated the development of
Neurologic Music Therapy as a new, research based treatment system for patients
with neurologic disorders. Neurologic Music Therapy is based on utilizing the
physiological mechanisms inherent in music perception and production. Treatment
techniques are standardized for functional therapeutic outcomes.