Talk title: From lab to dance floor: Investigating imitation, motor and musical imagery in people with Parkinson’s disease 

Abstract

People with Parkinson’s often initiate and execute movements more slowly and produce movements of smaller amplitude. While these motor changes mean that the effects of observing actions during imitation may also be impaired in therapeutic interventions involving imitation and action observation have the potential to facilitate movements in people with Parkinson’s. My talk will cover laboratory findings on the enhancement of voluntary imitation through combined action observation and motor imagery (AO+MI) and its application within interventions and dance, as well as a recent investigation of the vividness and everyday use of imagery related to music and movement. I will also discuss the benefits of involving people with Parkinson’s as research collaborators (patient and public involvement; PPI).