Music therapy for Parkinson's (NCT07734181)
Can music therapy reduce anxiety
- Trial ID
- NCT07734181
- Official Title
- Harmonization of Breathing Through Music Therapy and Its Impact on Anxiety, Quality of Life, and Autonomic Dysfunction in Parkinson's Disease
- Goal
- Can music therapy reduce anxiety
- Phase
- NA
- Status
- RECRUITING
- Sponsor
- Siegward -M. Elsas
- Study Type
- INTERVENTIONAL
- Enrollment
- 50 participants
- Conditions
- Parkinson's Disease (PD)
- Interventions
- Music therapy
- Registry Record Last Updated
- 2026-07-29 (this month)
- Estimated Commitment
- Lower commitment estimated from the protocol. This reflects time and procedures only — confirm details with the study coordinator.
Summary For Families
The goal is to see whether one-on-one music therapy, using slow, gentle bowing of a string instrument together with the therapist singing and playing a lyre, can relax people with Parkinson's, lower anxiety, improve quality of life, and help automatic body functions like unstable blood pressure. The approach is those live music sessions and measuring effects with questionnaires for anxiety, motivation, depression, quality of life, and autonomic symptoms, plus physical measures such as heart rate variability (the normal slight changes in time between heartbeats), blood pressure stability, tremor intensity, walking ability, and brain activity recorded by electroencephalography. A smaller part of the project will test whether listening to emotionally powerful music changes brain activity and heart rate variability, with emotional reaction tracked by a questionnaire called the Geneva Emotional Music Scale. The trial is recruiting people aged 50 to 79 with Parkinson's at stages 1 to 4 who understand German and can give consent; people who had music therapy in the past year, have severe hearing loss, dementia (MoCA score under 20), severe physical or psychiatric illness, or are already in another Parkinson's treatment trial are excluded.
Eligibility at a Glance
Key requirements found in this trial's official criteria, in plain language. Only what the listing states is shown; the study team makes the final call.
- Disease stage: Hoehn and Yahr stage 1 to 4
- Thinking test (MoCA): MoCA memory and thinking score of at least 20 (criteria text: "Manifest dementia (MoCA \< 20)")
Do I Likely Qualify? — Self-Check Dimensions
The trial page offers an interactive self-check built from this trial's parsed criteria. It covers these dimensions; anything the criteria don't state clearly is answered "ask the study coordinator", never assumed.
- This trial enrolls people aged 50 to 79.
- This trial requires Hoehn and Yahr stage 1 to 4.
- This trial requires a MoCA thinking-test score of at least 20.
Locations
- Klinik Arlesheim AG, Arlesheim, Basel-Landschaft, Switzerland
Making Contact: How to Call This Study Site
Who to ask for
Ask for the study coordinator. Some sites call this person the research coordinator. They are the right person for questions about joining a study. If you reach a front desk or a doctor's office scheduler, ask them to connect you with the research team for this study.
What to say
It is fine to read this out loud, word for word:
Hello, my name is ____. I am calling about a Parkinson's study at your site. The study number is NCT07734181. It is the one about "Can music therapy reduce anxiety". Could I speak with the study coordinator about taking part?
If you are calling for a family member, use their name and mention that you help with their care.
What they will ask you
- The year of diagnosis
- Current medications and their doses
- Other health conditions
- Any procedures already done, such as deep brain stimulation (DBS)
- How far you are able to travel for study visits
- Whether a care partner can come to visits with you
What to have ready
- A written list of current medications and doses
- Your neurologist's name and phone number
- The diagnosis date. The year is enough.
- A recent visit summary from the neurologist, if you have one
What to ask them
- How many visits are there, and how long does each visit take?
- Is travel, parking, or my time reimbursed?
- Is there a placebo group, and what is my chance of being in it? The listing already answers this: Everyone in this trial receives the experimental treatment. There is no placebo group. Ask the coordinator to confirm it still applies.
- Would I need to stop or pause any of my current medications?
- What happens when the study ends? Could I stay on the treatment if it helps?
What to expect
- Expect to wait a few days for a callback. A week is common. Calling or emailing again after that is fine and normal.
- Many callers do not end up joining. Screening out is common and is not a judgment about you or your health.
- Asking questions commits you to nothing. You can stop the process at any point.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is this trial testing?
- This trial is studying Music therapy. The goal is to see whether one-on-one music therapy, using slow, gentle bowing of a string instrument together with the therapist singing and playing a lyre, can relax people with Parkinson's, lower anxiety, improve quality of life, and help automatic body functions like unstable blood pressure. The approach is those live music sessions and measuring effects with questionnaires for anxiety, motivation, depression, quality of life, and autonomic symptoms, plus physical measures such as heart rate variability (the normal slight changes in time between heartbeats), blood pressure stability, tremor intensity, walking ability, and brain activity recorded by electroencephalography. A smaller part of the project will test whether listening to emotionally powerful music changes brain activity and heart rate variability, with emotional reaction tracked by a questionnaire called the Geneva Emotional Music Scale. The trial is recruiting people aged 50 to 79 with Parkinson's at stages 1 to 4 who understand German and can give consent; people who had music therapy in the past year, have severe hearing loss, dementia (MoCA score under 20), severe physical or psychiatric illness, or are already in another Parkinson's treatment trial are excluded.
- Who can participate?
- Participants must be between 50 Years and 79 Years.
- Where is this trial located?
- This trial is recruiting at 1 location.
- Does it cost anything to join?
- Being asked to pay to join a trial is a red flag: legitimate trials do not charge a participation fee, and the study treatment and study-specific tests are provided by the trial sponsor. What you might still pay depends on where you live: in the US, routine care you would receive anyway can be billed to you or your insurance; trials in the UK and Canada usually run through public health systems. Travel, parking, and time are real costs, and some trials reimburse them while others do not. Before enrolling, ask the study coordinator to explain in writing what is and is not covered.
- How long does the trial last?
- This trial is estimated to last approximately 2 years and 3 months.
- Can I leave the trial if I change my mind?
- Yes. You can withdraw from any clinical trial at any time, for any reason, without affecting your standard medical care. Trials are voluntary by law. The team may ask if you are willing to do a brief exit visit so they can collect safety information, but you are not obligated.
- Can my spouse or care partner come with me to visits?
- In most cases yes, and it is often encouraged. Care partners can help with notes, questions, and getting home safely after a long visit. Some study assessments do need to happen one on one, but care partners are usually welcome for the rest of the appointment.
- Will I get a placebo in this trial?
- Everyone in this trial receives the experimental treatment. There is no placebo group.
- What procedures are involved in this trial?
- Based on the protocol, this trial involves: Questionnaires & surveys (non-invasive); Brain wave recording (EEG) (non-invasive). Confirm the full schedule with the study coordinator.