Effects of rhythmic auditory stimulation on upper-limb movement speed in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders

Wang, Shu-Mei; Lin, Chung-Ying; Tse, Tracy Ho-Yan; Chu, Hin-Lun; Liu, Cheong-Ho; Ng, Tsz-Ho; Tse, Chun-Kwok; Wong, Wai-Man; Chan, Sunny Ho-Wan

Abstract

Movement slowness, linked to dysfunctional basal ganglia and cerebellum, is prevalent but lacks effective therapy in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. This study was to examine immediate effects of rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS) on upper-limb movement speed in patients. Thirty patients and 30 psychiatrically healthy people executed the right-hand task and the both-hand task of the Purdue Pegboard Test when listening to RAS with two tempi: normal (equal to the fastest movement tempo for each participant without RAS) and fast (120% of the normal tempo). The testing order of the RAS tempi for each participant was randomized. Patients had lower scores of right-hand and both-hand tasks than did psychiatrically healthy people. Scores of right-hand and both-hand tasks were higher in the fast-RAS condition than the normal-RAS condition in participants. This is the first study to explore the possibility of applying RAS to movement therapy for patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. The results demonstrated that faster RAS was effective in inducing faster upper-limb movements in patients and psychiatrically healthy people, suggesting that manipulating RAS may be a feasible therapeutic strategy utilized to regulate movement speed. The RAS may involve alternative neural pathways to modulate movement speed and thus to compensate for impaired function of basal ganglia and cerebellum in patients.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Online Publication Date: Sep 17, 2020
• Publication Date: Dec 1, 2021
• Deposit Date: Oct 30, 2022
• Journal: European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience
• Print ISSN: 0940-1334
• Electronic ISSN: 1433-8491
• Publisher: Springer (part of Springer Nature)
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 271
• Issue: 8
• Pages: 1445-1453
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-020-01193-0
• Keywords: Pharmacology (medical), Biological Psychiatry, Psychiatry, Mental health, General Medicine, Rhythmic auditory stimulation, Auditory cue, Upper limb movement, Schizophrenia
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/10110513
• Publisher URL: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00406-020-01193-0#rightslink
• Additional Information: Received: 18 June 2020; Accepted: 1 September 2020; First Online: 17 September 2020; : ; : All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.; : This study was performed in line with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. This study has been reviewed by the Institutional Ethics Review Board of Hong Kong Polytechnic University (the approval number: HSEARS20170419006). All participants were informed of the research procedure and signed the consent form before joining the study.