Tango for Treatment of Motor and Non-motor Manifestations in Parkinson's Disease: A Randomized Control Study.

There is accumulating evidence for positive effects of exercise on gait speed, strength, balance, and quality of life for people with PD. Habitual physical activity can lower risk for developing PD. In toxin-induced animal models of PD, exercise may decrease neuronal injury. The key components of an exercise program in PD include: 1) cueing strategies to improve gait; 2) cognitive movement strategies to improve transfers; 3) exercises to improve balance, and 4) training of joint mobility and muscle power to physical capacity. Traditional exercise programs can meet these needs but often they are not very appealing for older adults including patients with PD. Unfortunately more than half of individuals with PD does not meet the recommended daily level physical activity.

There is a connection between music and level of Dopamine, which is pivotal for establishing and maintaining behavior. According to recent study music-induced emotional states can increase dopamine release, partially explaining how musical experiences are so valued and why music is an especially potent pleasurable stimulus for most people, and is frequently used to affect emotional states.

The development of interventions which combine exercise, with accessibility, enjoyability, good motivation to practice regularly improving mood and stimulating cognition would be ideal for individuals with PD. Dance may provide all of these characteristics, and so may be an affective useful and accessible intervention to improve motor impairments. Dance requires dynamic balance and permanent adjustment to the environment at the same time. It promotes enjoyment and encouragement interest in continuing participation. Habitual social dancers have superior balance, gait function, and reaction times compared with age-matched nondancers. Regular dancing improves balance and functional mobility, and increases motivation to continue healthful exercise-related behaviours in older adults.

There is also evidence that exercise has a positive impact on cognitive function in vulnerable populations. Musical exercise improved cognitive function in residents of long- term care facilitations without diagnosis of dementia and in patients with established Alzheimer's disease. Particularly dance produces clinically important changes in measures of mental status and behaviour in patients with moderate to severe dementia.

Social isolation is an important cause of the development of depression in the older population and it may be caused by numbers of factors, including mobility limitations: medical illness, and economic difficulties. The relationship between social isolation and depression is clear, as is the link between social engagement and improved mood and perceived quality of life. There is also an important link between social disengagement, depression and cognitive decline in elderly population. Dance classes occur in a group setting and it is forced social interaction, which may produce noticeable improvement in mood and subsequently decrease cognitive decline.