Individual Differences in Beat Perception Affect Gait Responses to Low- and High-Groove Music

Abstract

Slowed gait in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) can be improved when patients synchronize footsteps to isochronous metronome cues, but limited retention of such improvements suggest that permanent cueing regimes are needed for long-term improvements. If so, music might make permanent cueing regimes more pleasant, improving adherence; however, music cueing requires patients to synchronize movements to the “beat,” which might be difficult for patients with PD who tend to show weak beat perception. One solution may be to use high-groove music, which has high beat salience that may facilitate synchronization, and affective properties, which may improve motivation to move. As a first step to understanding how beat perception affects gait in complex neurological disorders, we examined how beat perception ability affected gait in neurotypical adults. Synchronization performance and gait parameters were assessed as healthy young adults with strong or weak beat perception synchronized to low-groove music, high-groove music, and metronome cues. High-groove music was predicted to elicit better synchronization than low-groove music, due to its higher beat salience. Two musical tempi, or rates, were used: (1) preferred tempo: beat rate matched to preferred step rate and (2) faster tempo: beat rate adjusted to 22.5% faster than preferred step rate. For both strong and weak beat-perceivers, synchronization performance was best with metronome cues, followed by high-groove music, and worst with low-groove music. In addition, high-groove music elicited longer and faster steps than low-groove music, both at preferred tempo and at faster tempo. Low-groove music was particularly detrimental to gait in weak beat-perceivers, who showed slower and shorter steps compared to uncued walking. The findings show that individual differences in beat perception affect gait when synchronizing footsteps to music, and have implications for using music in gait rehabilitation.

Oscillations in the human brain during walking execution, imagination and observation

“…For example, the use of (high-groove, high beat salience that facilitate footsteps synchronization) music has been shown to improve gait rehabilitation in individuals with Parkinson's disease [10] and in those with stroke [11]. This supports positive interference between rhythmical sensory contingencies in the brain and gait behavior.…”

Body, Sound and Space in Music and Beyond: Multimodal Explorations

“…Low-groove music is typically associated with low beat salience, whereas high-groove music is associated with greater beat salience (Madison, 2006). It could be that the low-groove music used in the study by Leow et al (2014) lacked prominent beats, therefore having a relaxing effect on step length. High-groove music, on the other hand, might have had prominent beats, but also more danceable rhythms, a typical characteristic of high-groove music.…”

“…Leow, Parrott and Grahn (2014) revealed significant differences in period matching accuracy between groups of weak and strong beat perceivers, when instructed to synchronise their walking behaviour to music played 22.5 per cent faster than their preferred tempo. Nevertheless, no significant differences in period matching accuracy were found between walking to low-groove music and walking to high-groove music.…”

“…The effect of different types of music on gait responses was also tested in a study by Leow et al (2014). Kinematic parameters of walking to a metronome and to high-and low-groove music were compared to un-cued walking.…”

3Mo: A Model for Music-Based Biofeedback

“…However, studies show that people may have weak beat perception (Leow et al, 2014), and may not always exhibit the spontaneous tendency to phase-synchronize to a musical beat (Buhmann et al, 2016). …”