---
title: Reduce apathy through personalized music
nct_id: NCT05505019
phase: NA
status: RECRUITING
sponsor: University of British Columbia
study_type: INTERVENTIONAL
canonical_url: "https://parkinsonspathways.com/trial/NCT05505019"
clinicaltrials_gov: "https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05505019"
last_fetched: "2026-05-10T14:01:41.916Z"
source: "Parkinson's Pathways (curated)"
---
# Reduce apathy through personalized music

**Goal (in five words):** Reduce apathy through personalized music

**Official Title:** The Role of a Personalized Music Intervention Towards Alleviating Apathy in Parkinson's Disease

**Trial ID:** [NCT05505019](https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05505019)

## Key Facts

- **Phase:** NA
- **Status:** RECRUITING
- **Study Type:** INTERVENTIONAL
- **Sponsor:** University of British Columbia
- **Target Enrollment:** 50 participants
- **Start Date:** 2022-02-09
- **Completion Date:** 2026-07-31
- **Conditions:** Parkinson Disease, Apathy
- **Interventions:** Music listening, Podcast listening
- **Intervention Types:** OTHER

## Summary For Families

The goal is to ease apathy in Parkinson's by boosting motivation and pleasure through music that re-engages reward and attention circuits. Participants follow a personalized music listening program designed to trigger emotional and dopaminergic reward responses, and outcomes are compared to a control group that listens to podcasts to test whether music specifically improves engagement, mood, and daily activity. The trial is looking for people aged 40 to 85 with a Parkinson's diagnosis by MDS criteria, excluding those with atypical parkinsonism, epilepsy, significant cognitive impairment (MoCA <21), moderate depression (BDI >20), or certain metal or medical implants.

## Eligibility

- **Minimum age:** 40 Years
- **Maximum age:** 85 Years
- **Sex:** ALL

### Full Criteria

```
Inclusion Criteria:

\- Clinical diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease following MDS Parkinson's disease criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

* Participants with atypical Parkinsonism (eg. Progressive supranuclear palsy, multiple system atrophy, drug induced, etc.)
* Epilepsy
* Other neurological disease/complications (eg. myopathy, stroke, brain lesion, MS)
* Significant cognitive impairment (MoCa \<21)
* Moderate depression (Beck's Depression Inventory \>20)
* Severe/multiple head trauma(s)
* Participants with metal/medical implants, including any of the following: artificial heart valve, brain aneurysm clip, electrical stimulators, ear or eye implant, implanted drug infusion pump, coil, catheter, or filter in any blood vessel, orthopedic hardware such as artificial joint, plate, and/or screws, other metallic prostheses, shrapnel, bullets, or other metal fragments, surgery or tattoos, including tattooed eyeliner, in the last six weeks, cardiac pacemaker, wires or defibrillator, or ferromagnetic aneurysm clip)
* Participants who have gone through specific injuries/brain surgery (eg. an injury where a piece of metal lodged in the eye or orbit)
```

## Locations (1)

- Djavad Mowafghian Centre for Brain Health, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada _(49.2497, -123.1193)_
  - Annie Kuan — (CONTACT) — (604) 822-1388 — annie.kuan@ubc.ca

## Central Contacts

- Mikey Jose, B.Sc. — (CONTACT) — (604) 822-3177 — miguel.jose@ubc.ca
- Annie Kuan — (CONTACT) — 604-827-0576 — annie.kuan@ubc.ca

---

*Canonical: https://parkinsonspathways.com/trial/NCT05505019*  
*HTML version: https://parkinsonspathways.com/trial/NCT05505019*  
*Source data: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05505019*