Motor Training in PD

NCT02457832 | Completed Results

• 1 other identifier: N0870-W
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 87
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The purpose of this research study is to learn more about brain activity when individuals with and without Parkinson disease (PD) move their lower limbs. The investigators also want to see if and how two different types of partnered dance affect brain activity in individuals with and without PD. Testing will take place at the Atlanta VA Medical Center and at Emory University. The investigators expect to enroll about 140 people for this study over a five-year period.

Conditions

Parkinson Disease

Keywords

Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Neurology; Neurosciences; Physical Medicine; Parkinson Disease; Rehabilitation

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Percent Signal Change

  Percentage of baseline BOLD signal across activated brain regions. Activation values that remain significant after type-I error control in imaging software are averaged across brain regions, converted to Percent Signal Change, and presented as Mean (%) ± SD (%) across brain regions investigated.

  12 weeks

• Connectivity Strength

  Changes in average connectivity strength across striatal-thalamo-cortical (STC) and cerebello-thalamo-cortical (CTC) circuits, as measured by average cross correlation coefficient between the seed regions of the circuits.

  12 weeks

Study Arms (4)

Internal guidance training (IG)

EXPERIMENTAL

Adapted tango dancing is a sophisticated, yet accessible system of tactile communication that conveys motor intentions and goals between a leader and follower. Those in IG training will choose direction, timing and amplitude of each successive step, and will communicate this information to their partner through moving their frame and center of mass.

Behavioral: Adapted Tango Dancing

Externally guided training (EG)

EXPERIMENTAL

Those in EG will learn to attend to sensory cues for movement direction, timing and amplitude of steps, communicated from their partner to them via the frame and center of mass. The 'follower' will wait to receive the movement cue before moving.

Behavioral: Adapted Tango Dancing

Behavioral Control (BC)

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

BC participants will attend group health education sessions adapted to the needs of individuals with PD, about pharmacological management, nutrition, sleep disorders, cognitive deficits, bereavement coping, mobility, balance and home safety. Participants in this training will be instructed not to change their habitual exercise routines. After completing health education, participants will be assigned to an IG or EG training class but will not undergo evaluations.

Behavioral: Behavioral Control (BC) Condition

Normal Control (NC)

NO INTERVENTION

Age-matched controls without Parkinson's disease will come in for a single assessment including MRI.

Interventions

Adapted Tango Dancing BEHAVIORAL

Composed of simple steps, tango involves frequent movement initiation and cessation, multi-directional perturbations and varied rhythms. Participants focus on trunk control and stepping strategies, coordination, somatosensory awareness, attention to partner, path of movement, and aesthetics. Sessions will begin with a typical dance class warm-up consisting of breathing, limbering and postural alignment to upbeat music. Novel step elements will be introduced every class period. Those with PD will partner with an individual without PD. After novel step introduction, the instructor will present rhythmic training, which is indispensable to partnered dancing. Participants will learn 'typical' rhythms from tango and Latin dances, based upon the system of quicks (Q) and slows (S), ubiquitously used in ballroom dance training to understand the temporal relationship of movement to music.

Externally guided training (EG); Internal guidance training (IG)

Behavioral Control (BC) Condition BEHAVIORAL

Group health education sessions adapted to the needs of individuals with PD, about pharmacological management, nutrition, sleep disorders, cognitive deficits, bereavement coping, mobility, balance and home safety.

Behavioral Control (BC)

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 40 Years - 70 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Age 40 - 70 years
• Willingness to spend 1-h in a scanner
• Able to walk with or without an assistive device 10 feet
• Best corrected/aided acuity better than 20/70 in the better eye
• Absence of dementia or vascular cognitive impairment
• Absence of primary memory deficits

You may not qualify if:

• Deep brain stimulator implants, Metallic implants, fragments, or pacemakers
• Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MocA) score \< 24
• Pure-tone threshold sensitivity \> 40 dB
• Peripheral neuropathy
• Untreated Major Depression
• History of stroke, or traumatic brain injury

Sponsors & Collaborators

• VA Office of Research and Development: lead

Study Sites (1)

Atlanta VA Medical and Rehab Center, Decatur, GA

Decatur, Georgia, 30033-4004, United States

Location

Related Publications (3)

• Ernst M, Folkerts AK, Gollan R, Lieker E, Caro-Valenzuela J, Adams A, Cryns N, Monsef I, Dresen A, Roheger M, Eggers C, Skoetz N, Kalbe E. Physical exercise for people with Parkinson's disease: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2024 Apr 8;4(4):CD013856. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD013856.pub3.

  PMID: 38588457 DERIVED

• Ernst M, Folkerts AK, Gollan R, Lieker E, Caro-Valenzuela J, Adams A, Cryns N, Monsef I, Dresen A, Roheger M, Eggers C, Skoetz N, Kalbe E. Physical exercise for people with Parkinson's disease: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2023 Jan 5;1(1):CD013856. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD013856.pub2.

  PMID: 36602886 DERIVED

• Prime M, McKay JL, Bay AA, Hart AR, Kim C, Abraham A, Hackney ME. Differentiating Parkinson Disease Subtypes Using Clinical Balance Measures. J Neurol Phys Ther. 2020 Jan;44(1):34-41. doi: 10.1097/NPT.0000000000000297.

  PMID: 31834219 DERIVED

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Parkinson Disease

Interventions

Behavior Control

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Parkinsonian Disorders; Basal Ganglia Diseases; Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Movement Disorders; Synucleinopathies; Neurodegenerative Diseases

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Therapeutics; Behavioral Disciplines and Activities

Results Point of Contact

• Title: Madeleine E. Hackney, Ph.D.
• Organization: Associate Professor of Medicine Emory University School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatrics and Gerontology; Research Health Scientist Atlanta VA Health Care System, Center for Visual and Neurocognitive Rehabilitation

mehackn@emory.edu, madeleine.hackney@va.gov

404-315-4100

Study Officials

• Madeleine E. Hackney, PhD

  Atlanta VA Medical and Rehab Center, Decatur, GA

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Publication Agreements

• PI is Sponsor Employee: Yes

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: FED
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 21, 2015
• First Posted: May 29, 2015
• Study Start: June 1, 2015
• Primary Completion: December 31, 2022
• Study Completion: December 31, 2023
• Last Updated: October 15, 2025
• Results First Posted: August 15, 2024

Record last verified: 2025-10

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)