Could art therapy help people with Parkinson’s?

A new study by US researchers will investigate the impact of art therapy on Parkinson’s motor symptoms.

The study – which will be conducted by researchers at the Marlene and Paolo Fresco Institute for Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders, US – will focus on 40 participants, half of which have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s. The sessions will be led by professionals with a master’s degree in art therapy.

It is hoped the approach will help people with Parkinson’s restore functional independence and maintain a high quality of life.

Writing in the ‘Complementary Therapies in Medicine’ journal, the authors commented: “[Art therapy] could be used to improve impaired visuospatial functions in patients with PD, including visually-guided attention, shape recognition, motion perception, abstraction, sensory-motor integration, and hand-eye coordination.”

In addition, the researchers believe art therapy may help improve the emotional wellbeing of participants.