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Old 02-21-2008, 07:25 PM
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ZucchiniFlower ZucchiniFlower is offline
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Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 782
15 yr Member
ZucchiniFlower ZucchiniFlower is offline
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ZucchiniFlower's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 782
15 yr Member
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I often sing when I walk, if not out loud, to myself. It helps alot.

From the full article:

The presence of rhythmic cues adds stability in motor control immediately.

They syncronized their motor activities to the rhythm. Also helped with organization re: sequential tasks.

They discuss rhythmic synchronization of motor responses. Rhythmic cueing also enhances spatial control of movement, e.g. stride length.

The connection between rhythmicity and brain function

Abstract
We first present some clinical research results involving rhythmic facilitation and motor control. We then discuss synchronization strategies for sensorimotor coupling pertaining to rhythmic entrainment mechanisms; followed by trajectory cuing and optimization models as they relate to rhythmic entrainment and movement control; and, finally, the outlook for applications that may help rehabilitate motor function. Our interest in the study of the connections between rhythm, time, and the control of movement was stimulated from three directions: (a) the study of high-level motor control in musicians and the effect of rhythmic cues on muscle activity in cello performance; (b) the evidence that auditory rhythmic patterns exert a strong magnet effect on the timing of motor responses; and (c) the clinical observation that music-therapy techniques that were originally designed for socio-emotional needs elicited motor responses in neurologically impaired patients that were not readily accessible by other therapies..

Full article:

http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/iel4/51/1...rnumber=752991

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Research Review
The power of cueing to circumvent dopamine deficits: A review of physical therapy treatment of gait disturbances in Parkinson's disease

"sensory cueing appears to be a powerful means of improving gait in PD"

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/c...5598/HTMLSTART

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Clinical Rehabilitation, Vol. 17, No. 4, 363-367 (2003)
DOI: 10.1191/0269215503cr621oa
© 2003 SAGE Publications
Auditory cues can modify the gait of persons with early-stage Parkinson's disease: a method for enhancing parkinsonian walking performance?

"Conclusion: The rate of auditory cues, within the range tested, can modulate cadence and thus velocity of gait of subjects with early-stage Parkinson's disease. The provision of auditory cues provides a potential strategy for enhancing walking performance in these patients."

http://cre.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/17/4/363
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