Vividness and Use of Imagery Related to Music and Movement in People with Parkinson's: A Mixed-methods Survey Study

Parkinson's disease affects multiple aspects of movement, impacting significantly on everyday tasks. Music is used in interventions for people with Parkinson's, either to pace movements, or as an integral element of activities such as dance. This study explored self-reported vividness of two forms of imagery – motor imagery evoked by music and auditory (including musical) imagery – in people with Parkinson's, and whether and how they use these types of imagery in everyday life. Participants ( N = 199) completed: (i) vividness ratings of visual and kinesthetic music-evoked motor imagery, (ii) vividness ratings of auditory imagery, and (iii) ratings and open questions about their everyday use of these types of imagery. While most participants reported experiencing music-evoked motor imagery (with more vivid visual than kinesthetic motor imagery),