Effects of relaxation training and music in Parkinson's disease

Purpose: The aim of this pilot study was to compare subjective and objectiv e effects of systematic relaxation training with listening to classical mus ic in patients suffering from idiopathic Parkinson's Disease (PD). Participants and Methods: A group of patients (n = 12) received Progressive Muscle Relaxation Training (Jacobson), respiratory relaxation and rest ima ges, another group of 12 patients listened to Mozart tunes. Under each cond ition five 20-minute sessions were carried out on 5 consecutive days. Befor e and after each session, patients rated subjective in tensity of tremor, r igidity, akinesia, and mental and bodily relaxation. In addition, motor beh avior was assessed by tremormeter and tapping rate before and after each se ssion. Results: Whereas in both groups subjective variables improved after the tra ining sessions, no changes were found in objectively assessed motor behavio r. Relaxation training and music did not differ significantly with regard t o these effects. Analysis of individual reactions showed that a high propor tion of patients reacted positively to relaxation training and music in sub jective and objective variables. Conclusion: The results indicate that relaxation and music may be used to r educe subjective stress induced by motor symptoms in PD. Implications for f urther studies and for psychological interventions in PD are discussed.