Jaslok Hospital unveils groundbreaking results in Parkinson's disease management

Mumbai: On the eve of World Parkinson's Day, Jaslok Hospital and Research Centre is proud to announce the unveiling of groundbreaking findings from the World's First Comprehensive Clinical Trial aimed at slowing the progression of Parkinson's disease. 

Led by Principal Investigator Dr Paresh Doshi, this landmark trial marks a significant milestone in Parkinson's care, potentially revolutionizing management approaches and enhancing the quality of life for patients and caregivers worldwide.

Parkinson's Disease (PD) affects over 10 million people globally, with a particularly high prevalence in Asia, notably in India. The disease significantly impairs motor functions and quality of life due to the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons. Current treatments focus primarily on symptom management, leaving a critical gap in altering the disease's progression.

Methodology: After obtaining informed consent from the patient, patients were randomly assigned by a computer-generated algorithm either to a therapy or a control group. The group chosen for therapy was offered either dance or music as their preferred form of therapy option. The philosophy is that people who love music may not like dance, and people who like to dance may prefer dance over music. Both groups of therapy were also given guided meditation by an expert trainer in the field of meditation. Several Parkinson's Disease related scorings were performed to evaluate the motor function, behaviour, mood, and cognitive functions of these patients before the trial and on the completion of the trial. The control group was also evaluated in the same manner. Both groups continued their usual medical management. A patient diary was maintained to ensure adequate compliance, and patients who could not follow the required schedule were excluded from the trial.

Results:

We assessed two main areas of primary results. The first was the quality of life (measured by Parkinson’s disease Questionnaire-PDQ39), and the second was the gold standard used to determine the impact of any treatment on the progression of Parkinson's disease (Unified Parkinson’s diseae rating scale - UPDRS). Additionally, we included two other data points to evaluate the impact of this treatment on the caregivers: PDQ-Carer change and Zarit Burden Interview Change.

All these four endpoints showed significant improvement, which was statistically significant, as seen in the below graph.

These results confirm the following:

That any therapy which the patient prefers, i.e. dance or music; along with meditation, has a definitive impact on the progress of the Parkinson’s disease and also on the quality of life of the patient. This also translates into better well-being and improved quality of life for the caretakers. Notably, the benefits observed in this trial extend beyond the intervention period, indicating the potential for long-lasting effects.

The results underscore the importance of exploring alternative therapies in managing PD comprehensively. Future directions include longer-term studies and investigations into diverse populations.

Additional key findings

Besides the above results, there was improvement seen in other areas like mood (Beck depression scale), memory function (MMSE), Balance (TUG and Berg Balance test) and Anxiety (Anxiety scale).

Commenting on this Prof. (Dr.) Paresh Doshi, Prinicipal Investigator of the trial and the Director of Neurosurgery and Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgical program at Jaslok Hospital and Research Centre says, "These results mark a significant leap forward in Parkinson's care. Our trial demonstrates the potential of alternative therapies in not just managing symptoms, but in potentially slowing the progression of this debilitating disease. Through innovative approaches like dance and music therapy, we are paving the way for a brighter future for Parkinson's patients and caregivers worldwide."

Explaining about the uniqueness of this trial, Dr. Doshi highlights that:

1. This is the first trial to have a blinded randomised evaluation of patients undergoing treatment and not undergoing therapy ever presented or studied in the world.

2. This is the first-ever trial in the world that has evaluated not only Parkinson's disease but also the caregivers’ burden in the management of Parkinson's disease through dance and music therapy.

3. This trial laid a lot of emphasis on the quality of life, which was one of the principal trial endpoints which again has been very rarely evaluated for this form of treatment.

4. This level of detailed evaluation of motor disability, mood, behaviour, and cognition has always been performed in surgical interventional trials or medical interventional trials but never in any trials where no intervention accept therapy like dance and music were offered.

"At Jaslok, we are committed to pushing the boundaries of medical research to improve patient outcomes. This groundbreaking trial reaffirms our dedication to innovation and patient-centered care. By harnessing the power of alternative therapies, we are not just treating Parkinson's disease, but transforming lives. Our mission is to continue leading the way in redefining standards of care and making a tangible difference in the lives of those affected by Parkinson's." says Dr Milind Khadke, Director Medical Services at Jaslok Hospital.

As we unveil these remarkable findings on the eve of World Parkinson’s Day, Jaslok Hospital and Research Centre reaffirms its commitment to advancing Parkinson's care through innovative research and patient-centered approaches.