Led by York Associate Professor in neuroscience Joseph DeSouza and his colleagues, this study followed the impact of weekly 75-minute dance classes on depression in 23 people with Parkinson’s over eight months. Measuring their scores on the Geriatric Depression Scale, a commonly used self-report assessment for depression in the elderly, the researchers noted that participants were reporting a decrease in depression after every class. In a recent article published in The Washington Post, DeSouza remarked: “I don’t know what it is, but there’s something magical about dancing. Dancing makes people with Parkinson’s feel alive and happy. Over time, the scientists noted that the brain scans of the participants with Parkinson’s showed an overall decreased activity in the subcallosal cingulate gyrus (SCG), a key brain region implicated in depression.