The Role of Rhythm in Dance Therapy for Cognitive Health

Dance-based movement therapy is a physical activity that engages the mind and body. It can help people with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), a stage before more serious conditions like Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. The therapy includes dance movements that can be made easier or harder depending on each person's abilities. The goal is to find a level that challenges them without being too hard, which can lead to better results.

However, we currently do not have clear ways to customize these dance activities to fit individual needs. A person's ability to participate in dance therapy can be influenced by their physical and mental abilities, their relationship with music and dance, and how well they can perceive and repeat rhythms.

Past research has shown that as people age, they may struggle with dance-like movements. However, it is unclear how a person's relationship with music and dance, or their ability to keep a rhythm, affects their performance.

#Importance of Assessing Dance-like Movement

To improve therapy for individuals, it is important to measure how well someone can perform dance-like movements. We have developed a set of routines called Rhythmic Movement Sequences (RMS) that focus on certain aspects of movement. These routines can be adjusted to measure how well someone can move their body in specific ways.

These routines look at two main aspects: the Spatial (how the body moves through space) and the Temporal (the timing of movements). The goal is to assess how well someone can manage their movement skills, which can help in creating better therapy plans.

#Types of Rhythmic Movement Sequences

The RMS can be broken down into three categories:

1. Spatial RMS: These focus on how the joints move while walking.
2. Temporal RMS: These involve how the timing of steps aligns with music.
3. Spatiotemporal RMS: These require performing both spatial and temporal changes at the same time.

Each type of RMS may be affected by a person’s physical ability, mental ability, and their experience with music and rhythms.

#Previous Findings

Past studies showed that older adults and those with MCI had difficulties with performing RMS. For young adults, performance was generally better than older adults. Older adults without MCI also showed differences in performance, suggesting that age-related factors influence their ability to manage spatial aspects of movement.

In older adults with MCI, both spatial and temporal performance were affected because of cognitive challenges. The results indicated that not all differences in performance could be linked to age or cognitive status. This means that other factors, like how well individuals could keep time with music, may also play a significant role.

#Research Goals

The main purpose of our study was to see how a person's relationship with music and dance, as well as their ability to keep rhythm, impacted their performance in RMS. We created questionnaires to measure their relationships with music and dance, and we assessed how well they could perform rhythm tasks.

We wanted to find out if better relationships with music or dance would lead to better performance in dance-like movements. Our predictions were straightforward:

• Stronger music relationships would help with temporal and spatiotemporal tasks.
• Stronger dance relationships would help with spatial and spatiotemporal tasks.
• Better rhythm proficiency would assist with temporal and spatiotemporal tasks.

We also looked closer at how specific rhythm skills affected performance in RMS.

#Methodology

We conducted our research as an observational study with participants from different age groups, including younger adults and older adults both with and without MCI. Participants had to meet specific criteria, like being able to walk a certain distance without help and having a basic education level.

We used various tests to evaluate their cognitive abilities. These included assessments measuring working memory, spatial understanding, and overall cognitive function.

#Rhythmic Movement Sequence Assessment

Participants performed a series of RMS to assess their dance-like movement abilities. Each type of RMS had specific goals regarding how the body should move. These included both spatial modifications, like how joints should move during walking, and temporal modifications, like how to step in time to music.

Each participant was guided through these routines and allowed to practice before their performance was measured. Their movements were recorded to analyze how well they met the required targets.

#Music and Dance Relationship Questionnaires

To better understand each participant's connection to music and dance, we created questionnaires. The Music Relationship Questionnaire (MRQ) assessed their experiences and feelings about music. The Dance Relationship Questionnaire (DRQ) focused on their connections to dance.

We also conducted a Rhythm Assessment (RA) to measure how well participants could perceive and reproduce rhythms. This involved listening to rhythms and attempting to clap them back, as well as reading musical notation and identifying different musical meters.

#Results

#Cognitive and Motor Assessments

We found that cognitive abilities differed across the age groups. Younger adults performed better on tasks measuring working memory and other cognitive functions compared to older adults without MCI. Those with MCI showed the worst performance on cognitive tests.

#Relationships to Music and Dance

When comparing the groups, younger adults and older adults without MCI had stronger relationships to music and greater rhythmic skills than those with MCI. However, there were no significant differences in their connections to dance.

#Performance in Rhythmic Movement Sequences

Younger adults performed better than older adults in all types of RMS assessments. The older adults did not show significant differences in performance when compared to those with MCI.

#Associations Between Relationships and Performance

We analyzed how the MRQ, DRQ, and RA scores were related to RMS performance. Stronger music relationships were linked to better performance in temporal RMS for both younger and older adults without MCI. However, there were no significant relationships found between dance relationships and performance in RMS.

In older adults, better rhythmic proficiency was associated with improved performance in both temporal and spatiotemporal RMS. However, this was not the case for younger adults.

#Impact of Rhythm Skills

When looking closer at the rhythm tasks within the RA, we found that only the ability to identify different musical meters was linked to better RMS performance in older adults. Specifically, those who performed well in recognizing meter also performed better in temporal and spatiotemporal tasks.

#Discussion

The findings of this study suggest that individuals without MCI show better performance in dance-based movement therapy when they have stronger relationships with music and better rhythmic skills. However, those with MCI do not benefit in the same way, likely due to cognitive deficits that interfere with their ability to apply their music and dance experiences to movement tasks.

This indicates that music relationships and rhythmic skills are important for successful performance in dance-based therapies, but these links weaken in the presence of cognitive impairment. Strong relationships to dance did not show similar effects on spatial movement tasks, suggesting that other factors may play a role in spatial performance.

#Future Directions

Further research is necessary to understand the factors influencing performance in dance-like movements. This includes exploring how individual backgrounds in music and dance can shape performance and how to best tailor dance therapies to meet individual needs.

We suggest that future studies focus on the interplay between cognitive function, rhythmic ability, and effective dance-based therapies. Improving techniques that assess a person's relationship to music and dance could enhance the effectiveness of these therapies.

By identifying specific elements that improve performance in RMS, clinicians can better customize dance therapy to each individual, potentially leading to enhanced cognitive and motor outcomes.

#Conclusion

In summary, our research highlights the importance of relationships with music and dance, as well as rhythmic proficiency, in performing dance-like movements. For younger and older adults without cognitive impairment, these factors contribute to better performance in rhythmic movement activities. However, adults with MCI demonstrate limitations in translating these relationships into improved movement performance. This study adds to our understanding of how to personalize dance-based movement therapy to maximize its benefits for individuals of varying cognitive abilities.