---
title: Drumming predicts Parkinson progression
nct_id: NCT05971459
phase: NA
status: RECRUITING
sponsor: Wilfrid Laurier University
study_type: INTERVENTIONAL
canonical_url: "https://parkinsonspathways.com/trial/NCT05971459"
clinicaltrials_gov: "https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05971459"
last_fetched: "2026-05-10T14:02:48.645Z"
source: "Parkinson's Pathways (curated)"
---
# Drumming predicts Parkinson progression

**Goal (in five words):** Drumming predicts Parkinson progression

**Official Title:** A Study of the Efficacy of IAMT as an Assessment Tool for Prediction of Progression of Parkinson's Disease

**Trial ID:** [NCT05971459](https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05971459)

## Key Facts

- **Phase:** NA
- **Status:** RECRUITING
- **Study Type:** INTERVENTIONAL
- **Sponsor:** Wilfrid Laurier University
- **Target Enrollment:** 50 participants
- **Start Date:** 2024-01-15
- **Completion Date:** 2024-08-30
- **Conditions:** Parkinson Disease
- **Interventions:** Improvised Active Music Therapy
- **Intervention Types:** BEHAVIORAL

## Summary For Families

Researchers want to know whether improvised active music therapy can serve as an assessment tool to help predict how Parkinson's will progress, by picking up subtle changes in movement, timing, and coordination. Participants will play rhythmic patterns on a drum set while researchers record motor timing, coordination, and stability, the idea being that these active music tasks may reveal small gait and motor-control changes that standard tests miss. The study is looking for about 50 people aged 50 and up with a clinical Parkinson's diagnosis who can walk 80 meters, sit for 30 minutes, speak English, score above 24 on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, are willing to play drums, and who do not have other neurological disorders, certain psychotropic medications, or current/previous musical training.

## Eligibility

- **Minimum age:** 50 Years
- **Sex:** ALL

### Full Criteria

```
Inclusion Criteria:

* Participants must be at least 50 years old, of any gender and location, and have a clinical diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease (PD).
* Participants should be able to understand and communicate in English.
* Participants should be capable of walking independently for a distance of 80 meters, with or without the use of a gait aid (e.g., walker, cane).
* Participants should be able to sit independently for 30 minutes at a time.
* Participants should be willing to play on a drum-set.
* Participants should NOT be deemed cognitively impaired, as indicated by a score of greater than 24 out of 30 on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA).

Exclusion Criteria:

* Individuals who are unable to understand or communicate in English.
* Individuals with any other neurological disorder that has residual motor deficits (e.g., epilepsy, multiple sclerosis).
* Individuals who are using psychotropic medications that can affect motor performance (e.g., neuroleptics/anti-psychotics, anti-convulsants, and benzodiazepines).
* Individuals who have experience as a musician or are currently learning to play an instrument.
```

## Locations (1)

- Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada _(43.4668, -80.5164)_
  - Demian Kogutek, PhD — (CONTACT) — +1 548-889-3623 — dkogutek@wlu.ca

## Central Contacts

- Demian Kogutek, PhD — (CONTACT) — +1 548-889-3623 — dkogutek@wlu.ca

---

*Canonical: https://parkinsonspathways.com/trial/NCT05971459*  
*HTML version: https://parkinsonspathways.com/trial/NCT05971459*  
*Source data: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05971459*