Parkinson Disease
Conditions
Keywords
Parkinson's Disease, motor learning, aerobic exercise, cardiovascular exercise, balance, postural instability, motor skill
Brief summary
The study is designed to assess the effects of aerobic exercise on motor learning in Parkinson patients. Specifically, the investigators examine whether a single bout of moderate intensity aerobic exercise, performed immediately before task practice, facilitates the acquisition and retention of a motor skill. In a cross-over design, participants will be randomly allocated to either the intervention group (aerobic exercise before motor learning) or control group (rest before motor learning).
Detailed description
Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that is characterized by motor control impairments, such as gait disturbances and postural instability. Beneficial effects of exercise are attributed to mechanisms of neuroplasticity, and task-specific motor training is consequently considered to be a motor learning process. While motor learning is preserved in persons with Parkinson's disease, slower acquisition rates and reduced retention have been reported compared to healthy individuals. Thus, it is crucial to identify strategies to enhance motor learning in people with Parkinson's disease. Recent studies have accumulated evidence to show that aerobic exercise can facilitate motor skill learning. However, these observations are limited to healthy individuals and have not been addressed in individuals with neurologic conditions. The present study is designed to assess the effects of a single bout of moderate intensity aerobic exercise on a motor skill learning task in patients with Parkinson's disease. In a cross-over design, participants will be randomly allocated to one of two groups. Both groups will practice balancing on a specific stability platform (motor learning task). The experimental group will additionally perform a bout of aerobic exercise (cycle ergometer) immediately before the motor learning task, while the control group will rest before practice. Subsequently, the acquisition and one-day retention of the motor learning task will be examined.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALaerobic exercise
Single-bout of moderate intensity aerobic exercise on a cycle ergometer before motor learning
BEHAVIORALrest
Seated rest before motor learning
BEHAVIORALmotor learning
Motor learning task on a stability platform (Stabilometer). Participants try to keep the tiltable platform in an horizontal position.
Sponsors
German Foundation for Neurology
Department of Molecular Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, University Erlangen-Nürnberg
University of Erlangen-Nürnberg
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
CROSSOVER
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Parkinson's disease stage 1-3 on Hoehn & Yahr scale * Ability to stand unaided and walk without an assistive device * Stable medication during the study period
Exclusion criteria
* On-off and wearing-off phenomena * Unstable medical or psychiatric illness * Clinically relevant cardiovascular or orthopaedic disease * Severe polyneuropathy * Cognitive impairment * Smoking \> 10 cigarettes/day * Caffeine \> 6 cups of coffee/day * Alcohol \> 50 g (two glasses)/day
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Motor Learning (Precision) | Baseline (first trial of practice day 1), 1 day (last trial of practice day 1), and 7 days (first trial of 7-day retention session). | Change from baseline in time in balance (±5° from horizontal) during balancing task. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Motor Learning (Variability) | Baseline (first trial of practice day 1), 1 day (last trial of practice day 1), and 7 days (first trial of 7-day retention session). | Change from baseline in mean standard deviation (root mean square error) of platform deflection (in degree). |
Countries
Germany
Outcome results
None listed