New treatment for Parkinson's disease - 2007-03-08

Two local researchers believe they may have found a new treatment for
Parkinson's disease.

In the basement of a medical building on Forest Park Avenue, eight couples
move in step to the music of Argentine composer Osvaldo Pugliese. As they
glide across the floor, instructor Madeleine Hackney guides them.
"Communicate with your movements, not with your voice," she says. "Use your
hands and your feet. Become like a four-footed creature." The dancers smile
and attempt to obey.

"Walk like a panther," Hackney suggests, and the couples, all of whom are on
the far side of 50 years old, let out a collective giggle and mimic a feline
strut. They're dancing the tango. And improving their health.

For the past seven months, researchers at the Department of Physical Therapy
at Washington University have been studying a seemingly odd treatment for
those afflicted with Parkinson's disease: the tango. The national dance of
Argentina, known for its fluid, sensual movements, might prove effective in
combating the debilitating disease. "I'm getting out on the floor with
people who hadn't danced in 30 years. They didn't think they could, and
they're saying, 'I can't believe I can do this,'" says Dr. Gammon Earhart,
an assistant professor of physical therapy who, along with Hackney,
initiated the groundbreaking study.

The pair launched the pilot program this past June, not long after reading
an abstract delivered at a Society for Neuroscience conference. The paper
described a study of frail, physically unstable elderly patients. One group
was treated with a traditional exercise regimen and the other was taught the
tango. After learning and practicing the dance, the latter group was found
to have improved balance. The results prompted Hackney and Earhart to wonder
whether the same could be true for patients with Parkinson's. Gammon and
Hackney - the latter a Wash. U. doctoral candidate in motion science and
former professional dancer who has appeared in the films Mona Lisa Smile and
Mad Hot Ballroom - devised a regimen that would involve a
traditional-exercise group and a tango group, and proceeded to enlist
Parkinson's patients to participate. While both groups showed improvements,
those doing the tango showed dramatic progress in both balance and mobility.

Pleased with the results, Earhart and Hackney are applying for funding from
the National Institutes of Health to continue their research - this time
with a larger contingent of participants, aiming to examine what particular
aspects of tango are relevant to Parkinson's. A second study is scheduled
for summer; the scientists are seeking participants, who must be over 60 but
can be afflicted with Parkinson's or Parkinson's-free.

Approximately 1.5 million Americans have Parkinson's, a neurological
disorder that can destroy nerve cells in the brain. The disease targets
cells that produce dopamine, a chemical that allows for the smooth,
coordinated function of the body's muscles. A lack of dopamine causes the
symptoms of Parkinson's: tremors, rigidity and lack of balance. Actor
Michael J. Fox and boxing great Muhammad Ali are probably the two most
prominent Americans with Parkinson's.

Earhart says people with the disease have difficulty initiating movement.
But if they're given an external cue, such as a beep, and asked to perform
an action after hearing it, they're much more able to respond. "Music may be
one of those external cues," Earhart speculates. "You step to the beat, and
that helps you. Another possibility is that with tango you've got a partner
who's the cue. You're moving toward your partner, who is helping to
facilitate the movement in some way."

The tango, Earhart adds, includes many turning maneuvers, a task that's
particularly difficult for those with Parkinson's. "A lot of people, if you
walk with them in a straight line and say, 'OK, let's turn around and go
back the other way,' they just fall apart. In the middle of walking, they
just stop. If you ask them what's happening, they describe feeling their
feet being glued to the floor. Their feet aren't actually obeying what the
brain wants them to do."

The researchers believe that dance in general may prove to be a good
treatment. In fact, for the past six years members of the Brooklyn Parkinson
Group in New York have been working with the Mark Morris Dance Center, says
Ruth Hagestuen, director of field services for the National Parkinson
Foundation.

"People have told me that it's been so absolutely significant in their
lives," Hagestuen says. "They can move better when they dance than if
they're just trying to walk down the hall." Hagestuen believes dance works
well because it emphasizes a strengthening of the body's core. "There's
something about music that reaches people," she adds. "We used to think that
it was just the beat, but I think it's more than that."

"It's a completely joyful experience," Hackney says of teaching the tango.
"Every week I look forward to the class." Though the pilot program
officially ended in October, she and Earhart continue to meet weekly with
the group.

"One of the reasons I like it is because my spouse can participate with me,"
says Marge Bilinsky, who has Parkinson's and attends the sessions with her
husband Herb. "It's a couples thing, and it's fun. Neither of us danced
much. Herb's not really a big dancer at all, so I was delighted that he said
that he would come." "It's amazing," confirms Ute Adelt, whose husband,
Wilfried, has Parkinson's and participated in the Wash. U. study. "Before,
my husband couldn't even think about going backwards, but now he can. I
mean, he's not jumping, but it's such an improvement." Ute and Wilfried
Adelt used to dance frequently. "We're European, so it's more or less
mandatory," she explains, laughing. "But since he has Parkinson's, we
couldn't even dream about dancing. And then all of a sudden he can again -
slowly." Indeed, as music fills the room, Wilfried and Ute move in balletic
unity. Though his head and arms shift and contort against his will,
Wilfried's blue eyes sparkle as his legs glide with grace.

Ute recalls a recent evening spent tangoing in Webster Groves. "We danced
our little hearts out, just for the fun of it. Before, he wouldn't have felt
comfortable. But it really gives him confidence, and it's marvelous."

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