RESEARCH ARTICLE
Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation (RAS) and Motor Rehabilitation in Parkinson’s Disease: New Frontiers in Assessment and Intervention Protocols
Mauro Murgia1, 2, Federica Corona3, Roberta Pili4, Fabrizio Sors2, Tiziano Agostini2, Carlo Casula5, Massimiliano Pau3, Marco Guicciardi1, *
Article Information
Identifiers and Pagination:
Year: 2015Volume: 8
First Page: 220
Last Page: 229
Publisher ID: TOPSYJ-8-220
DOI: 10.2174/1874350101508010220
Article History:
Received Date: 22/09/2015Revision Received Date: 03/11/2015
Acceptance Date: 03/11/2015
Electronic publication date: 31/12/2015
Collection year: 2015
open-access license: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0), a copy of which is available at: (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode). This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Abstract
Previous studies have demonstrated that physical therapy accompanied by Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation (RAS) can improve the motor skills of patients with Parkinson’s disease and, in particular, their gait disturbances. In the present work we describe the neurological bases and perceptual-motor deficits generally associated with Parkinson’s disease, with a specific focus on gait disturbances. Within this framework, we review the role of auditory cueing in the modulation of patients’ gait, addressing this issue from the cognitive, neurological and biomechanical perspectives. In particular, we focus on the new frontiers of both assessment and intervention. With regards to the assessment, we describe the advantages of the three-dimensional quantitative multifactorial gait analysis. As concerns the intervention, we illustrate the potential impact of the administration of ecological footstep sounds as rhythmic cues.