Ask an Expert: The Music-mind Connection

Sun Nee Tan is a second year PhD student working under the supervision of Dr. Martin McKeown, Clinical Director of the Pacific Parkinson’s Research Centre (PPRC) at University of British Columbia (UBC). Sun Nee is investigating mechanisms through which a home-based, rehabilitative intervention that employs music, exercise and sensorymotor contingency could potentially encourage improvement in gait, balance, cognition, and quality of life for people living with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Her work has been highlighted in the Globe and Mail for her participation in the “3 minute thesis” competition.

Sun Nee completed her undergraduate studies at King’s College, London, England and was elected as an Associate of King’s College (AKC) in 2007. In 2013, she completed her MSc (Neuroscience) from UBC under the supervision of Dr. Brian Cairns. Other than research and teaching, her interests include dancing, cooking, travelling and participating in various outdoor activities.

How did you become interested in conducting research into Parkinson’s disease?

My late grandfather lived with Parkinson’s disease for years. He was undiagnosed for the first decade or two, and was only prescribed medication when the disease became more advanced. I remember he was always a cheery man, going about our village with a walking stick. He would shake constantly and the only times the tremors would stop were when he was writing letters back to his home country. I witnessed his decline to dementia and experienced first-hand the challenges of caregivers as my parents and relatives were struggling to provide the best care for him. These are all very vivid memories for me, and my primary personal reason for getting into Parkinson’s research.

My professional inspiration came from my experiences doing chronic pain research at UBC for my MSc and my investigations into the effects of biological sex (male vs. female) on manifestations of neuropathy.

Can you describe your research methods?

I designed a longitudinal (long-term) randomized clinical trial. Patients with Parkinson’s were asked to walk without music, walk while music was played continuously and walk in time with musical cues. We monitored the patients’ progression of motor and non-motor symptoms, behavioural improvements, cognitive performance and asked them numerous questions to get a sense of their overall quality of life. We also scanned patients under MRI using various scanning protocols to measure any alterations in brain structures and functions over time.

Have you been able to draw any conclusions so far? If so, what are they?

Clinically, we noticed that patients’ motor symptoms did improve in a meaningful manner when they were walking to music. This gives us hope that our research is heading in a positive direction! We have observed some changes in the anatomy of the brain (white matter tracts) and functions. Further to this, we are currently working on understanding what these changes mean and whether they are related to improvements in patient’s behaviour and symptoms, or simply a reflection of the slow progression of the disease.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

I would like to convey my most sincere gratitude to Parkinson’s patients who have been so generous with committing their time to research, both to my own and other projects. In the years I have spent interacting with these patients at UBC, their positive spirits have not only bolstered my commitment and desire to contribute, but they also inspire me to continue moving forward despite many personal and professional challenges.

This content was published in the Fall 2017 edition of our quarterly magazine, Viewpoints. The content was accurate as of this publication date.