Effects of multisensory stimulation in people with Huntington's disease: a randomized controlled pilot study

Objective: To investigate whether behavioural, motor and physiological responses of individuals with Huntington's disease (HD) to a controlled multisensory environment (MSE) are effective as a therapeutic (sustained effects) or leisure (immediate effects) activity. Design: Pilot study - a randomized, controlled, two-group design. Setting: Specialist residential unit for people with mid-late stage HD. Subjects: Twelve patients with HD (one subject from each group dropped out during the study after week 8 due to medical complications). Interventions: Patients attended eight, 30-minute sessions over a four-week period, of multisensory stimulation (MSE, treatment group) or relaxation activities (control group). Main outcome measures: Between-group comparisons for changes between assessment sessions for two behavioural assessments: Rehabilitation Evaluation - Hall and Baker (REHAB), Behaviour and Mood Disturbance Scale (BMD); a motor assessment: the dyskinesia section of the St Hans Rating Scale (SHRS),- physiological measures: blood pressure, heart rate and respiratory rate. Secondary measures during intervention sessions included behavioural assessment using the Interact. Results: There were no significant differences found between the groups for any main outcome measures made between sessions. The MSE group showed some positive effects with in-sessions, with the Interact showing significant between-group differences in immediate effects on mood (P = 0.028). There was also a significantly different change over time for within-session changes in stimulation levels (p = 0.0002) and mood (p = 0.0001) between the groups. No physiological effects were observed in relation to sessions in either group. Two MSE subjects underwent changes in medication during the study period. Conclusions: There was no therapeutic effect of MSEs over the four-week study period. MSEs appear to be more effective than conventional relaxation techniques as a leisure activity.