Choreographing Change: A Longitudinal Exploration of Cognitive Resilience and Non-Motor Well-Being Through Community Dance for Parkinson's Disease.

Abstract

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive brain disorder characterized by motor, cognitive, and non-motor symptoms that substantially impact quality of life. Medical treatments often target motor symptoms, indicating that alternative approaches to support cognitive and non-motor health are desperately needed. While reported benefits of dance indicate the potential to alleviate symptom burden, the existing literature has largely prioritized motor outcomes or short-term interventions. Focusing on cognitive and non-motor symptoms, this thesis first synthesized the literature on the effects of dance on motor, non-motor, and cognitive domains in PD, followed by two longitudinal observational studies examining global cognition, as well as sleep-related and overall non-motor symptom burden, over six years in individuals with PD participating in community dance compared to a non-dancing PD group. Findings of the present thesis demonstrate the benefits of sustained dance engagement, suggesting that community-based dance may support cognitive and non-motor health in PD.