Parkinson's research study

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Take part in a Parkinson's study

We are looking for 30 people with mild-moderate Parkinson’s and 30 people without Parkinson’s to take part in a Parkinson's research study.

We are running this project in London and Manchester throughout May, June and July.

What will I do in this Parkinson's research study?

If you take part in the project you will undergo an initial assessment, which will assess your walking and balance (and other areas of functional mobility) and your problem solving abilities (and other areas of cognitive processing).

You will then take part in ten dance sessions, which have been designed for people with mild-moderate Parkinson’s.

Once you have completed all the dance sessions we will assess your walking and balance and problem solving abilities again.

Ethical approval for this research project has been granted.

Who do I contact to take part?

Please contact project coordinator Carine Lewis by email at dance@herts.ac.uk or call us on tel + 44 (0)1707 281340 if you would like to take part in this study, or if would like to talk to someone on the project team before you make up your mind.

About the Parkinson's research study

At the University of Hertfordshire, School of Psychology Peter Lovatt’s dance psychology lab is running a study, as described on the Parkinson’s UK website, into the effects of different types of dance on the symptoms of Parkinson’s.

Recent studies have shown that dancing can be good for relieving some of the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.

These studies have found that when people with Parkinson’s engage in several weeks of Tango dancing they show measurable improvements in their balance and walking, improvements that are not shown following several weeks of gym based exercises. Our study aims to replicate and extend these findings.

Following ten sessions of dance we want to answer whether dance can lead to the following improvements in people with mild to moderate Parkinson’s:

  • 1. Improvements in balance and walking (functional mobility).
  • 2. Improvements in mental problem solving (cognitive functioning)
  • 3. Improvements in mood
  • 4. Changes in quality of life
  • 5. Whether there are different amounts of change in these thing.

Our study will help us to begin to answer these questions.


For more information

For more information on Parkinsons visit the Parkinson’s UK website

For more information on the study of Parkinson’s and dance contact any of the following at the University of Hertfordshire: