Effects of Music Therapy on Huntington's Disease

August 19, 2011 updated by: OJ Sahler, University of Rochester

The Effects of Music Therapy on Depression, Chorea and Other Symptoms of Huntington's Disease

The purpose of this study is primarily to assess the ability of a music therapy program to improve holistically the psychological, somatic, and social symptoms of patients with Huntington 's disease (HD). We hope to demonstrate the benefits of applying music therapy interventions to the management methods of HD, thus paving the way for the development of an effective music therapy program for individuals with HD.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

ABSTRACT

Background: Recent studies show that music therapy helps improve the symptomatic manifestations of Parkinson's Disease. Few studies have looked at music therapy as a treatment for the psychiatric, cognitive and motor symptoms of patients with Huntington's disease (HD).

Objective: To examine the feasibility and tolerability of a treatment program of music therapy for patients with Huntington's disease. Also, to determine if music therapy improves the mood and motor features of HD while improving quality of life.

Methods: Subjects with HD were recruited to participate in a six-week study that included one individual, half-hour music therapy session and one hour-long group session per week. The music therapy protocols were adapted from the Colorado State University's Neurological Music Therapy program and were targeted to HD symptoms including balance and posture, fine motor skills, memory and attention, vocalizations, and mood. In particular the protocols included Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation (RAS), Pattern Sensory Enhancement (PSE), and Therapeutic Instrumental Music Playing (TIMP). Primary outcome of tolerability was to be assessed by the subjects' adherence to the therapeutic protocol, attendance, and the results of an exit survey inquiring about their feelings toward the use of music therapy in HD. A secondary outcome of the study was the change in the Unified Huntington's Disease Rating Scale (UHDRS) score between baseline and study completion.

Results: Five subjects were recruited for study participation (one female and four males). Music therapy was found to be a tolerable and feasible treatment for patients with HD (100% adherence and 98% attendance). Exit surveys demonstrated strongly positive feelings towards the music therapy treatment program in four of the five subjects (one survey was completed with contradictory answers by the subject). While there was improvement in UHDRS scores for finger tapping, pronation/supination and the Luria, these changes did not achieve statistical significance with the small sample size in this study.

Conclusions: Music therapy was well tolerated among subjects with HD in this small study. Future studies are now being planned to look at the efficacy of this intervention in a larger population of HD subjects.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

11

Phase

  • Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • New York
      • Rochester, New York, United States, 14642
        • University of Rochester Medical Center

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

16 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Diagnosis of HD
  • Over the age of 18
  • Patients must be ambulatory, use of a walker or human support is acceptable
  • Patients must be able to communicate their thoughts and feelings

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Anyone without the preceding characteristics

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Music Therapy
Subject will participate in one, individual, half-hour long music therapy session every other week and one hour-long group music therapy session each month, for a period of three months.
Behavioral: Music Therapy

During individual Music Therapy sessions, subjects will participate in a variety of active music-making opportunities, including: playing musical instruments, singing, improvising, learning relaxation techniques, song writing, and/or lyric analysis. The activities for each session will be determined by both subject and therapist, and will be selected based on preference, emotional state, and desired goals for the day.

Group music therapy sessions will focus on improving socialization, depression, and group dynamics. In this setting, the Music Therapist will choose from the following interventions:

  • Group singing
  • Group drumming
  • Music assisted relaxation
  • Group song writing
  • Lyric analysis
  • Improvisation
  • Music with art
No Intervention: Standard Care
During the Standard Care time period, participants will continue to receive all of the medical care that they would normally receive for the treatment of Huntington's Disease, without the addition of music therapy services.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
To examine the feasibility and tolerability of a treatment program of MT for subjects with HD.
Time Frame: End of Study
End of Study

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
To determine if MT improves the mood and motor features of HD while improving quality of life.
Time Frame: End of study
End of study

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University of Rochester

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Frederick J Marshall, MD, University of Rochester

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

  • Hyson C, Oliva R, LaDonna KA, Akwaa F, Richards J, Sahler OJ. "A Pilot Study of Music Therapy in Huntington' Disease". Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry 2005; 76:A29, Abstract P010.

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

July 1, 2004

Primary Completion (Actual)

December 1, 2008

Study Completion (Actual)

June 1, 2010

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 12, 2005

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 12, 2005

First Posted (Estimate)

September 15, 2005

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

August 22, 2011

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 19, 2011

Last Verified

August 1, 2011

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 10336 (Registry Identifier: UKRCN)

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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