Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Mar 24:20:26331055251329878.
doi: 10.1177/26331055251329878. eCollection 2025.

A Cross-over Pilot Study on the Effects of Classical Guitar Instruction on Motor and Non-Motor Symptoms in People with Parkinson's Disease

Christopher Adams  1 , Greg Fulton  2
Affiliations

A Cross-over Pilot Study on the Effects of Classical Guitar Instruction on Motor and Non-Motor Symptoms in People with Parkinson's Disease

Christopher Adams et al. Neurosci Insights. .

Abstract

Background: A previous randomized pre-post cross-over study with 26 participants found positive changes in motor and non-motor symptoms in people with Parkinson's disease (PwPD) after six weeks of group classical guitar sessions but not customary and usual treatment.

Objective: To determine if a six-week group classical guitar instruction program improved motor function, mood, and quality of life for PwPD in comparison to a six-week group exercise program in a non-randomized cross-over pilot study.

Methods: Eighteen PwPD were enrolled and 15 completed the study. Group 1 (N = 10) received a six-week group guitar instruction program, and then a six-week group exercise program. Group 2 (N = 8) received a six-week group exercise program, and then a six-week guitar instruction program. Assessments were at baseline, six weeks, and 12 weeks. The groups were combined for analysis by two-tailed paired t-tests due to the low sample size. Assessments included the Movement Disorder Society-Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) motor sub-section, Hoehn and Yahr scale, Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire-39 (PDQ-39), Apathy Evaluation Scale-Self (AES-S), and Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II).

Results: MDS-UPDRS mean motor scores decreased compared to pre-test scores with group guitar instruction (-5.3 points, P < .001), but not group exercise (-0.47 points, P = .85). BDI-II mean scores decreased by 2.13 (P = .08) and 1.87 points (P = .02) with group guitar instruction and group exercise, respectively. PDQ-39 mean scores decreased by 1.93 (P = .02) and 2.52 (P = .02) points with group guitar instruction and group exercise, respectively. AES-S mean scores decreased with group exercise (-2.40 points, P = .03) but not group guitar instruction (-2.4 points, P = .26).

Conclusions: Group guitar instruction could potentially help with both motor and non-motor symptoms in PwPD. There appears to be a specific effect of group guitar instruction on MDS-UPDRS motor scores that is not due to regular meetings and general exercises. This unfunded study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05917704).

Keywords: MDS-UPDRS; Parkinson’s disease; apathy; depression; guitar-based treatment; music-based treatment; non-motor symptoms; rhythm-based treatment.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Consort diagram for participant screening and enrollment.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Combined analysis by intervention immediately after intervention compared to before the intervention for MDS-UPDRS motor scores (a), BDI-II scores (b), AES-S scores (c), and PDQ-39 index scores (d). ***P < .001. *P < .05.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. de Dreu MJ, van der Wilk ASD, Poppe E, Kwakkel G, van Wegen EEH. Rehabilitation, exercise therapy and music in patients with Parkinson’s disease: a meta-analysis of the effects of music-based movement therapy on walking ability, balance and quality of life. Parkinsonism Relat Disord. 2012;18(Suppl 1):S114-S119. - PubMed
    1. Pohl P, Dizdar N, Hallert E. The Ronnie Gardiner rhythm and music method - a feasibility study in Parkinson’s disease. Disabil Rehabil. 2013;35(26):2197-2204. - PubMed
    1. Bukowska AA, Krężałek P, Mirek E, Bujas P, Marchewka A. Neurologic music therapy training for mobility and stability rehabilitation with Parkinson’s disease—a pilot study. Front Hum Neurosci. 2016;9:710. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Pacchetti C, Mancini F, Aglieri R, et al. Active music therapy in Parkinson’s disease: an integrative method for motor and emotional rehabilitation. Psychosom Med. 2000;62(3):386-393. - PubMed
    1. Pantelyat A, Syres C, Reichwein S, Willis A. DRUMPD: the use of a drum circle to improve the symptoms and signs of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Mov Disord Clin Pract. 2016;3(3):243-249. - PMC - PubMed

Associated data

LinkOut - more resources