This article isn’t about Parkinson’s, but since bradykinesia is one of the signature symptoms of parkinsonism, and the title is about the challenge of being slow, it interested me.
Basically, the authors found that people who were musically trained were better able to perform the given tasks consistently on both sides of their bodies. In other words, they are bilateral in terms of brain dominance, while other folks showed lower scores in terms of consistently performing the actions at different tempi (speeds). Because they were dominant on one or the other side of their brains.
As an amateur musician, mostly untrained (or it didn’t take) I have found that during rhythm & drumming classes that I have been in that things like a simple paradiddle are much more difficult at a slower tempo than at a faster tempo. On the other hand, some combinations are more difficult at a faster tempo than at the slower tempo. Just trying to build those cross brain connections, as the prefrontal cortex to the back of the brain and the motor control and reward system parts fade out. So I will play at the piano at a slow speed, ’cause if I pick up the tempo my fingers get even more clumsier than they are.
Maybe difficulty with moving both sides consistently is part of the reason People with Parkinson’s have difficulty with balance and with falls? From my own experience, can’t confirm or deny the hypothesis, since I’m not that good as a musician, but seem to have some bilateral skills, and until recently, when immersion in the moment took over the judgement and reason, have not experienced problems with balance or falls. Would be an interesting research question, though…
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bob's brain: living well with a movement disorder and other comorbidities 