Research
Creativity and Aging Research Study directed
by Gene Cohen, MD, PhD.
The Impact of Professionally Conducted Cultural Programs on the Physical Health, Mental Health, and Social Functioning of Older Adults, by Gene D. Cohen, MD, PhD, Susan Perlstein, MSW, Jeff Chapline, MFA, Jeanne Kelly, MM, Kimberly M. Firth, PhD, and Samuel Simmens, PhD.
Purpose of Study: to measure the impact of professionally conducted community-based cultural programs on the physical health, mental health, and social activities of individuals aged 65 and older.
Findings: subjects in the intervention group reported a higher overall rating of physical health, fewer doctor visits, less medication use, fewer instances of falls, better morale, fewer feelings of loneliness, and a trend toward increased activity than did the control group.
In his Research on Creativity and Aging: The Positive Impact of the Arts on Health and Illness, Generations XXX(I): Pages 7-15, Cohen quoted the Verghese Research:
"Indeed, in the research on leisure activities that most contributed to the delay in the onset of Alzheimer's disease for those at risk of the disorder, dance was at the top of the list (Verghese et al., 2003)."
Purpose of Study: to measure the impact of professionally conducted community-based cultural programs on the physical health, mental health, and social activities of individuals aged 65 and older.
Findings: subjects in the intervention group reported a higher overall rating of physical health, fewer doctor visits, less medication use, fewer instances of falls, better morale, fewer feelings of loneliness, and a trend toward increased activity than did the control group.
In his Research on Creativity and Aging: The Positive Impact of the Arts on Health and Illness, Generations XXX(I): Pages 7-15, Cohen quoted the Verghese Research:
"Indeed, in the research on leisure activities that most contributed to the delay in the onset of Alzheimer's disease for those at risk of the disorder, dance was at the top of the list (Verghese et al., 2003)."
Why is Dancing So Good for Your Brain?
"Dancing improves brain function on a variety of levels.
Two recent studies show how different types of practice allow dancers to achieve peak performance by blending cerebral and cognitive thought processes with muscle memory and ‘proprioception’ held in the cerebellum. Through regular aerobic training that incorporates some type of dance at least once a week anyone can maximize his or her brain function."
"Dancing improves brain function on a variety of levels.
Two recent studies show how different types of practice allow dancers to achieve peak performance by blending cerebral and cognitive thought processes with muscle memory and ‘proprioception’ held in the cerebellum. Through regular aerobic training that incorporates some type of dance at least once a week anyone can maximize his or her brain function."
"Dancing and the Brain"
Quote derived from the above named article published in BrainFacts.Org.
Source from Society of Neuroscience.
"Toes tap, wrists flick, arms extend, but it is the brain that dances. Many parts of the brain act together to turn a body’s motion from discrete movements into a fluid, physical art form. Watching or executing a moment of dance, several regions of the brain may become active: they may speedily calculate spatial orientation, readjust motor signals, or attach emotional responses to the choreography."
Quote derived from the above named article published in BrainFacts.Org.
Source from Society of Neuroscience.
"Toes tap, wrists flick, arms extend, but it is the brain that dances. Many parts of the brain act together to turn a body’s motion from discrete movements into a fluid, physical art form. Watching or executing a moment of dance, several regions of the brain may become active: they may speedily calculate spatial orientation, readjust motor signals, or attach emotional responses to the choreography."
"Dancing proves a good move for people with Parkinson's disease"
“By giving people with Parkinson’s an opportunity to dance, you give them confidence in their own bodies again. I’ve met people who have thought: ‘I’ve got a movement disorder – I can’t move any more.’ But by concentrating on a clear beat, rather than the physical act of moving, shuffling can, temporarily, turn back to walking. Then people can take what they’ve experienced into their day-to-day lives, for example by wearing headphones and listening to music with a beat while they’re out shopping.”