Fractal auditory stimulation has greater benefit for people with Parkinson's disease showing more random gait pattern.
Vivien Marmelat, Austin Duncan, Shane Meltz and 2 others
PMID 32554147WHAT IT FOUND
A fractal metronome made stride timing less random in people with Parkinson's disease and older adults, especially those with the most random baseline gait.
The fractal music was harder to follow and did not show this benefit.
Key findings
01The fractal metronome made stride timing less random than baseline walking.
02People with more random baseline stride timing showed a larger change toward less random timing during the metronome condition.
03Participants found the fractal music harder to synchronise with than the fractal metronome.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Only 14 participants from each group were analysed after sensor problems, and left-sensor data were discarded for most participants. The study did not record step-to-tone synchronisation, so it cannot confirm how accurately participants followed the intended beats. The music stimulus was an altered Für Elise melody without a strong beat, which may have made it harder to follow than the metronome. The results are from single 15-minute sessions and do not show long-term gait improvement. People who could not walk unassisted for 15 minutes, or who were not in their self-reported on-state, were not included. The study did not compare fractal metronome or music with a standard isochronous metronome or a random auditory stimulus.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflict of interest. The article is listed as receiving NIH extramural and non-U.S. government research support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that fractal music is an effective gait cue or that either stimulus improves long-term walking. The music did not make stride timing less random, the effect was measured during a single 15-minute session, and no step-to-tone synchronisation was recorded.