Two professors combine their expertise to study the effects of improvisational dance on Alzheimer’s patients’ brains. They say the research appears promising.
By Lauren Berryman
Sparking up a conversation with friends and family also sparks connections in the brain. And research shows these connections impact brain function, especially in aging adults.
As Americans live longer, more people are faced with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). This mental decline affects one’s ability to remember, learn and live independently. With no cure, it can progress into dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, more than 5 million Americans are currently living with the disease, and the number is expected to grow. But social engagement proves to be an effective palliative care option for elderly adults with memory loss.
Christina Hugenschmidt, Ph.D., an assistant professor of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine at Wake Forest School of Medicine, and Christina Soriano, an associate professor of dance at Wake Forest University, have teamed up to conduct research on the impact socialization and dance have on brain function in older adults with MCI.
“If you look at an Alzheimer’s patient’s brain, the whole brain is smaller,” Hugenschmidt said. “There’s atrophy throughout it.”
The goal of their research is to build connections in the brain through stimulation, which may improve secondary symptoms of dementia, such as effects on mood, balance and behavior. They also look for ways to improve each participant’s overall quality of life.
Hugenschmidt and Soriano orchestrate improvisational dance classes using the IMPROVment Method for the elderly. Classes are designed to encourage movement and social engagement among participants and caregivers.
Because of the varying degrees of memory loss in individuals, the IMPROVment Method is key because it encourages random, unchoreographed movements. Without the pressure of having to remember certain moves, dance and creativity are made more accessible to this elderly group. “Movement belongs to everybody,” Soriano said. “There are artists everywhere.”
Soriano encourages the participants to take risks during the classes because even trying is succeeding.
“There was one day when a group of high schoolers shadowed our dance class, and they were so reluctant to participate,” said Amanda Black, who assistants with the research. “Meanwhile, we have these 80-year-olds who are so excited to do the dances.”
This open and inclusive environment creates a shared experience among the participants, which boosts their confidence and overall quality of life. As social beings, interacting with other people is generally important for health and well-being.
“[The participants] build relationships with one another and have something to look forward to,” said Kamryn King, who assists with the research. “This is a big deal to the older adults who are sometimes embarrassed or discouraged by their struggles.”
With this confidence boost, the adults are more willing to engage each other and stay mentally active, which appears to decrease depression, a secondary symptom of dementia.
While this study has not yet concluded, the researchers expect that the groups with socialization will have better improved cognitive abilities compared to the control group, King said.
But with social distancing guidelines in place and retirement homes restricting visitors amid the pandemic, socialization is declining for the elderly population who especially needs the interaction.
“I’m devastated [by the effects of the pandemic],” Soriano said. “You become a community, and it’s really hard to not be with them.”
With this study on hold for now, research team members are still calling the participants to touch base. However, King said it is likely the current research group will have to restart the intervention because of this unforeseen break between classes.
Regardless of the temporary hold, the research appears promising. Brain scans show the development of connections within brain pathways after IMPROVment intervention. Pairing socialization with the physical activity of dance is expected to make these connections even stronger.
The impact socialization and dance may have on slowing the progression of memory loss creates a sense of hope for people diagnosed with this incurable disease.
“New connections between separate parts of the brain are being established in the participants, which is pretty meaningful in the neuroscience world,” King said.
Lauren Berryman 