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.

PARKINSON’S DISEASE RISK IS LINKED TO GUT HEALTH, RESEARCHERS SAY

“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. 

Advertisement

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.

‘PENDULUM LIFESTYLE’ COULD BE KEY TO JUGGLING DAILY CHALLENGES

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.

WHAT IS ‘BRAIN ROT’? THE SCIENCE BEHIND WHAT TOO MUCH SCROLLING DOES TO OUR BRAINS

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.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER

“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.

For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health

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.

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

TOP 3:

– Stem cell therapy could correct heart failure in children, say doctors and specialists at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute in Melbourne, Australia.

– Doctors saved a pregnant woman and her baby after discovering a grapefruit-sized tumor in her chest cavity.

– A second-grade boy saved his friend from choking by doing the Heimlich maneuver in the school cafeteria – and it was caught on camera.

MORE IN HEALTH

REST AND RECHARGE – Quality sleep can be tough to come by during the holidays. A clinical psychologist offers expert advice for snoozing during the busy season. Continue reading…

‘MAJOR STEP FORWARD’ – The FDA has approved the first medication for obstructive sleep apnea, which also promotes weight loss. Continue reading…

FOLLOW FOX NEWS ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube

Twitter

LinkedIn

SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTERS

Fox News First

Fox News Opinion

Fox News Lifestyle

Fox News Health

Fox News Autos

Fox News Entertainment (FOX411)

DOWNLOAD OUR APPS

Fox News

Fox Business

Fox Weather

Fox Sports

Tubi

WATCH FOX NEWS ONLINE

Fox News Go

STREAM FOX NATION

Fox Nation

A Chicago woman was just weeks away from giving birth when a nagging cough led to a shocking medical discovery.

MaKenna Lauterbach, then 26 years old, began experiencing severe coughing fits in the last three months of her pregnancy.

“They would be so severe that I would become winded and nauseous to the point of vomiting,” she told Fox News Digital.

PREGNANT WOMAN WITH BRAIN CANCER REFUSES ABORTION

Lauterbach, who lives on a farm in Washburn, Illinois, also began noticing shortness of breath while tending to her horses and goats.

“I give hay to the horses every morning and noticed how winded I was becoming with a dry cough,” she said. “My body felt like I just ran two miles, when, in reality, I had only walked to the barn and back.”

Some doctors dismissed Lauterbach’s symptoms, she said, repeatedly telling her, “It’s because you are pregnant.”

Eventually, though, when the coughing led to vomiting, doctors performed scans and detected a large, grapefruit-sized tumor in her middle chest cavity and right lung, which was completely blocking the artery to the right lung. 

PREGNANT MOM WITH CANCER DEFIED DOCTORS’ ABORTION GUIDANCE

“It’s extremely rare to see this type of tumor invading into the major blood vessels of the heart,” said Chris Mehta, M.D. — a cardiac surgeon with the Northwestern Medicine Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute who specializes in complex heart reconstruction — in a press release. 

“It’s extremely rare to see this type of tumor invading into the major blood vessels of the heart.”

Advertisement

“We may see something like this once every few years.”

The tumor had put Lauterbach — and her baby — into respiratory distress.

‘In real trouble’

Lauterbach was flown to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, where a large medical team was waiting for her.

“MaKenna was in real trouble, and we had to act quickly – this wasn’t something that could wait for Monday morning,” said Lynn Yee, M.D., maternal-fetal medicine specialist at Northwestern Medicine, in the release. 

Though he was born three weeks early, little Colter is a thriving, happy baby boy today. “As for myself, I am still healing, emotionally and physically,” said Lauterbach. (MaKenna Lauterbach)

“When you’re pregnant with a baby that’s nearly full term, your lungs already aren’t functioning at full capacity, and when you add a huge tumor on top of it, you run the risk of having respiratory collapse and cardiac arrest.” 

The baby was not tolerating the contractions well and Lauterbach’s blood pressure was plummeting. 

THE YEAR IN CANCER: ADVANCES MADE IN 2024, PREDICTIONS FOR 2025

The team performed an emergency cesarean section — and on Easter Sunday, a healthy baby boy, Colten, was born. 

‘Blindsiding news’

After the delivery, it was time to address the tumor.

“The tumor was sitting on top of MaKenna’s heart and extended into the right lung, impacting all three lobes and the entire main trunk of the pulmonary artery,” said Kalvin Lung, M.D., a thoracic surgeon with the Northwestern Medicine Canning Thoracic Institute, in the release.

Doctors performed a biopsy and diagnosed Lauterbach with stage 3 melanoma.

The Lauterbach family lives on a farm in Washburn, Illinois. MaKenna Lauterbach first experienced severe coughing fits and shortness of breath when tending to the horses and goats. (MaKenna Lauterbach)

The doctors believe she may have had a melanoma on her skin at some point, and that “a cell or two escaped” and began growing inside her body.

“It was truly blindsiding news,” Lauterbach told Fox News Digital. “When I first got the diagnosis, I went through a roller coaster of emotions.”

“I was grieving the birth plan I had spent months preparing, while also dealing with the news of my unexpected diagnosis.”

After first feeling relief at having an answer, she said she felt some anger that her symptoms had been dismissed earlier. Then there was the fear of the cancer itself.

“Because of the tumor, the delivery happened so quickly. I was grieving the birth plan I had spent months preparing, while also dealing with the news of my unexpected diagnosis,” she said.

“My situation was serious, and while my clinical team was working on a plan to treat my cancer, it was comforting to know that the NICU nurses [at Northwestern] were taking such wonderful care of our son.”

Taking life-saving action

The team at Northwestern recommended that Lauterbach undergo three cycles of immunotherapy before surgery, which helped shrink her tumor by 30%.

Dr. Lung and Dr. Mehta removed Lauterbach’s entire right lung, parts of the main pulmonary artery and her lymph nodes. 

The Lauterbach family is pictured with, left to right, Dr. Kalvin Lung, registered nurse Mary Schuessler and Dr. Lynn Yee. (Northwestern Medicine)

“The surgery was risky relative to other cancer surgeries due to the need for cardiopulmonary bypass, and the need to repair the main artery going to both lungs, but it was done under very safe conditions with well-proven techniques,” Dr. Lung told Fox News Digital. 

“We were concerned that even with the extent of surgery, we would not be able to completely remove the tumor,” he went on.

If the tumor had grown just slightly more into the main artery going to the lungs, or if it had involved the heart, it would have been a different outcome.

But the surgery was a success, and Lauterbach’s latest scans showed no evidence of metastatic melanoma.

Colter Lauterbach is pictured with Santa ahead of his first Christmas. (MaKenna Lauterbach)

“Her outcome was very good,” Dr. Lung told Fox News Digital. “She has recovered from surgery almost entirely, and her main issue is shortness of breath, which is a consequence of only having one lung.”

“In terms of cancer prognosis, we expect it to be quite good, given that the entire tumor responded to the immunotherapy treatment she received.” 

‘New normal’

Today, though he was born three weeks early, little Colter Lauterbach is a thriving, happy baby boy.

“As for myself, I am still healing, emotionally and physically,” said MaKenna Lauterbach. “My lung capacity is getting close to ‘the new normal’ for me and I’m finally starting to return to some sort of normal routine.”

“There are some days when the bad memories and the unknowns haunt my thoughts.”

Looking ahead, Lauterbach will continue immunotherapy treatments for one year, and the doctors will continue to monitor CT scans to ensure the cancer doesn’t come back.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER

Her cancer is currently considered a “stable disease,” doctors say, which means no new tumors have appeared. 

The new mother, who turned 27 in October, said she is looking forward to her son’s first Christmas on the farm.

MaKenna and Parker Lauterbach are pictured with their son, Colter, after he was born by emergency cesarean section. (MaKenna Lauterbach)

“Emotionally, I try my best not to let reality weigh on me, but there are some days when the bad memories and the unknowns haunt my thoughts,” she said.

“Colter and my wonderful husband, Parker, are what have given me the strength to make it through everything.”

For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health

For other women, Lauterbach emphasized the importance of “knowing your body.”

She advised, “If you know something isn’t right, don’t take ‘I don’t know’ for an answer. Find someone who will take your concerns seriously and would rather do extra testing just in case, as opposed to missing something life-threatening.”