GROOVE THE MALADIES AWAY
Dr. Geeta Sundar, Neurosurgery registrar
Dance is an art form. Dance is an expression. Dance is a cohesive attuning of the body, soul and mind. Dance is the blend of music, movements and rhythm.
If you ask the dancer in me, dance is a language I choose to recite in, the tune I can walk in, the beat I can step into, and it’s a twirl I can connect to. It encompasses my very existence.
If you ask the doctor in me, dance forms the basis of therapy, where the use of therapeutic movements can define and dictate rehabilitation. It would entail the use of locomotion to create interventions to improve health.
In other words, dance counts as a form of therapy. In the many years before us, people and scholars have put their knowledge, research together to identify the various benefits of dancing. They have found that dance can enhance memory, improve quality of life, psychological functionality, social interactions, better compliance; improve mood, cognition, and also overall brain health [1].
It is also noted that dance not only creates momentary movements of the limbs, but also engages many senses, balance, auditory stimuli, visual orientation, imbibing coordination, swing, pattern, repetition, mirroring – all together, that increases neuronal discharges, activating a wide range of interactions between different lobes and areas of the brain, right from the cerebrum, motor cortex to the prefrontal region, to the cerebellum across the spinal cord and to the reflex arcs.
A study published in 2022, looked at the biochemical milieu of dance therapy and found that substances like nitric oxide – aiding in neuronal signaling, and proliferation of multipotent stem cells; serotonin – helps in maintaining good sleep, promotes positive mood, cognition, neuroplasticity, temperature regulation, memory, appetite control and pain; dopamine – controls movements, coordination, motivation, reinforcement, hormone regulation; estrogen – induces dendrite and synapse pathways important for memory and cognition, and stimulates production of nitric oxide; with lower levels of cortisol, glucose, triglycerides and cholesterol played a major role in manifesting the constructive influence of dance therapy. [4]
Of the main effects, dance has been found to have exceptional results in neurodegenerative diseases like – dementia, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. [1,3] The understanding of how dance can improve these conditions lies in the pathophysiology and environment rendered in the brain. Dance, in neurodegenerative cases, with its ability to involve many centres, planning, processing, cognition, auditory information, induces angiogenesis, stimulates the cortical cells, increases blood flow, endothelial cell proliferation, increases growth factors, improves neuroplasticity and recovery and protects against degeneration and atrophy with time. However, the effects of dance therapy are time dependant and also largely dependent on an individual’s mobility, involvement and learning capability [1].
In addition, exercise with music activates the limbic system and presses on the reward center, allowing dopamine and endorphins to flood the body. Such a flood, with a positive squeeze on the reward center, boosts self-esteem, and self-health. Melody has been known to trigger parasympathetic outflow, lowering the stress reactions and leading to an overall healthier emotional outlook. [1]
[1]
Figure showing the positive effects of dance on the brain. BDNF – Brain derived neurotropic factor, GDNF – Glial derived neurotropic factor.
The extent of dance therapy doesn’t only extend to neurology, but also finds its ways to a spectrum of psychiatric disorders. Many RCT’s and studies have been published on the use of dance therapy in schizophrenia, autism, somatoform diseases and depression. [2, 3, 5]
Benefits of Dance Therapy for Parkinson’s Disease (parkinsonsdisease.net)
REFERENCES –
Wu C-C, Xiong H-Y, Zheng J-J and Wang X-Q (2022) Dance movement therapy for neurodegenerative diseases: A systematic review. Front. Aging Neurosci. 14:975711. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.975711
Millman LSM, Terhune DB, Hunter ECM, Orgs G. Towards a neurocognitive approach to dance movement therapy for mental health: A systematic review. Clin Psychol Psychother. 2021; 28: 24–38. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.2490
Karkou V, Aithal S, Richards M, Hiley E, Meekums B. Dance movement therapy for dementia. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2023, Issue 8. Art. No.: CD011022. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD011022.pub3
Lopez-Nieves I, Jakobsche CE. Biomolecular effects of dance and dance/movement therapy: A review. American Journal of Dance Therapy. 2022 Dec;44(2):241-63.
Meekums B, Karkou V, Nelson EA. Dance movement therapy for depression. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2015, Issue 2. Art. No.: CD009895. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD009895.pub2.
