Can neurologic music therapy make the difference when using immersive virtual reality in Parkinson disease motor training? Promising findings from a secondary analysis.

The study included only 20 participants, which limits the statistical power to detect differences between groups. Participants were assigned to groups based on the order of enrolment (quasi-randomization), which increases the risk of selection bias compared to true randomization. This was a secondary analysis of a parent trial, so it was not originally powered or designed to test these specific motor outcomes as primary endpoints. The groups had some baseline differences in age and disease severity that, while not statistically significant, could have influenced the results in such a small sample. The study excluded a planned third group receiving conventional physiotherapy, so it is unclear how these high-tech interventions compare to standard care.

The research was supported by the Ministry of Health, Italy, through Current Research Funds 2025. No commercial conflicts of interest were declared.

Do not conclude that adding music therapy makes the treatment more effective overall. The primary clinical outcomes improved similarly in both groups; the music group only showed advantages in specific turning metrics and temporal gait parameters, which may be due to the small sample size and baseline imbalances.