NCT05637593

Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation on Upper-limb Movements in PD Patients

Effects of Training Involving Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation on Upper-limb Movements in Patients With Parkinson's Disease

• Status: Not Yet Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 138 (estimated)
• Sponsor: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

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.

Detailed description

This study employed a randomized controlled trial design. We randomly assigned PD patients into either the RAS group (experimental) or the noRAS group (control). Both groups underwent a 21-day training program (40 minutes per session, one session daily), with the only difference being the presence or absence of RAS. Assessments were conducted at five time points: baseline (T1), day 8 (T2), day 15 (T3), post-intervention (T4), and one-month follow-up (T5). Behavioral assessments were performed at all time points, while EEG recordings were only conducted at baseline (T1) and post-intervention (T4). All assessments and training sessions were scheduled during participants' medication 'on' state (1-2 hours after medication intake) to ensure consistency and optimal motor function.

Conditions

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

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
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.

Timeline

• Start date: 2025-06-01
• Primary completion: 2026-12-31
• Completion: 2026-12-31
• First posted: 2022-12-05
• Last updated: 2025-04-10