Putting a swing in their step could be just the thing to help ease the symptoms of depression in some Parkinson’s patients, a new study suggests.

Patients who took months of dance classes found their depression eased, a small study published recently in the Journal of Medical Internet Research says.

Not only did depression symptoms ease for the Parkinson’s patients, their brain scans displayed changes in their brain areas related to mood, researchers said.

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“It was very cool to see that dance had a positive effect on the mood circuits in the brain, which we could see in the imaging,” senior researcher Joseph DeSouza, an associate professor of neuroscience at York University in Toronto, Canada, said in a university news release.

“These improvements that we could see on MRI brain scans were also reported by the participants via survey,” DeSouza said. 

“Our study is the first to demonstrate these benefits across these two detection methods,” he also said, as news agency SWNS reported.

The study followed 23 participants in the Sharing Dance Parkinson’s program at Canada’s National Ballet School who had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease — as well as 11 healthy people, some of whom were relatives of the patients.

The team measured mood and depression scores in all participants. 

Participants took weekly dance classes for eight months, which progressed from simple leg and foot work and pliés to interpretive movements, waltzes and more complicated, choreographed dances, the outlet reported.

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Researchers honed in on a node in the brain, the subcallosal cingulate gyrus (SCG), that has been shown in previous research to be implicated in depression.

The team measured mood and depression scores in all participants using a recognized scale before and after every class, plus they conducted regular MRI scans at York.

Brain scans taken during the study displayed changes in the patients’ brain areas related to mood, according to researchers (not pictured).  (iStock)

After each dance class, they found that reported depression rates dropped — and the effect was cumulative from class to class, with “significant” improvements seen after eight months.

The team also found that the MRI scans showed reduced signals in a frontal-cortex brain region associated with emotional regulation and that in a smaller subset of the participants, a significant decrease in depression scores correlated with changes in the SCG node.

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Co-author Dr. Karolina Bearss, a professor at Algoma University, Canada, said, “We essentially showed that [the] SCG blood oxygen level–dependent signal decreases while dancing over time.”

Parkinson’s is a progressive neurodegenerative disease, the team noted. 

“People with Parkinson’s disease tend to have multiple symptoms that are not just motor-related.” (iStock)

Before diagnosis, there is a “prodromal” phase that can last for two to 10 years. It’s characterized by low mood, even before other symptoms appear, such as tremors.

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“People with Parkinson’s disease tend to have multiple symptoms that are not just motor-related,” said Bearss. “There are a lot of symptoms that include mental and social well-being impairments — one of those being depression.”

“What we’re trying to do is to have people live a better quality of life.”

The new research builds on the team’s previous three-year study that found that dance training helps Parkinson’s patients with motor control, mood and other functions of daily living.

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Dance is thought to have a double benefit, as music activates the brain’s reward centers and the movement acts on sensory and motor circuits.

Professor DeSouza, who has been dancing with participants in the program for 14 years, said that while dancing is not a treatment for Parkinson’s per se, the benefits are clear, according to the report.

He added, “We’re not trying to cure Parkinson’s with dance. What we’re trying to do is to have people live a better quality of life. This goes for both those with the disease, and their families that take care of them – they also get benefits of feeling better.”

Up to half of all Parkinson’s patients suffer from depression or anxiety at some point, the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research notes.

A previous study done at Sydney University found that structured dance (of any genre) is generally as effective as — or even more effective than — other types of physical activity for improving psychological and cognitive outcomes among people with chronic illness as well as healthy people.

Nearly 20% of American adults reported having an anxiety disorder in the past year, data shows — and many are more likely to feel uneasy and anxious as the sun sets.

While “sunset anxiety” isn’t an official medical diagnosis and does not appear in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), some mental health experts agree that it’s a very real phenomenon.

The symptoms aren’t limited to just anxiety, according to Andrea D. Guastello, PhD, a licensed psychologist at the University of Florida Department of Psychiatry.

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“It can be any psychiatric symptom that increases in frequency or intensity as the sun goes down or at night,” Guastello told Fox News Digital. 

Symptoms may include feelings of depression, isolation and hopelessness that tend to increase at night, the expert said.

What is sunset anxiety, exactly?

Sunset anxiety occurs when a person starts to feel anxious as the sun goes down at the end of the day, Beena Persaud, PsyD, clinical psychologist with Cleveland Clinic Akron General in Akron, Ohio, told Fox News Digital. 

“The lack of natural light can cause people to have less energy and motivation, restless discomfort, worry and nervousness about accomplishing tasks,” she said.

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People who have previously experienced episodes of anxiety and are generally more on the anxious side are more susceptible, Persaud said, as are people who have a heightened sensitivity to light changes and those who consider themselves to be “night owls.”

“Adults are more likely to feel it than teens or children, and this may be due to adults’ sense of responsibility for daily activities,” one expert said. (iStock)

There are no specific gender or racial tendencies for sunset anxiety, the expert noted.

“Adults are more likely to feel it than teens or children, and this may be due to adults’ sense of responsibility for daily activities,” she added.

Common triggers

The onset of sunset anxiety could be related to the circadian rhythm, which is the body’s internal clock that regulates many functions, according to experts. The circadian rhythm is influenced by the production of melatonin, Persaud said.     

“We know there can be hormonal changes with winter and daylight saving time,” she told Fox News Digital. 

“Since our production of melatonin is easily affected by light, early darkness can cause symptoms of both anxiety and depression. The body believes it should be getting ready for bed because of the darkness.”

“The lack of natural light can cause people to have less energy and motivation, restless discomfort, worry and nervousness about accomplishing tasks.”

Experts report an increase in seasonal anxiety from October to late March. 

“The changing of the seasons and earlier darkness make it a prime time for people to experience both sunset anxiety and seasonal depression,” Persaud said.

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Anxiety can also occur if someone is carrying a heavy mental load of activities and responsibilities and struggling to complete them all by the evening.

“Darkness occurring earlier makes us physically and emotionally tired, and we feel as if the day is ending before we can achieve our daily goals,” said Persaud.

Tips to alleviate sunset anxiety

Guastello at the University of Florida offered the following tips to help curb anxiety around sunset.

If you experience worsening or persistent symptoms of sunset anxiety that don’t improve with the above lifestyle changes, experts recommend consulting with a mental health provider. (iStock)

Set reasonable goals for yourself.

Plan enjoyable activities around the time your anxiety usually kicks up.

Practice good sleep hygiene.

Fox News’ Health newsletter brings you stories on the latest developments in health care, wellness, diseases, mental health and more.

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