Facilitating Motor Skill Learning in Parkinson's Disease III

NCT04653285 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: DSN-2020
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 24
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The study is designed to assess the effects of cardiovascular (aerobic) exercise on motor skill learning in Parkinson patients. Specifically, the investigators examine whether moderate-intense aerobic exercise, performed immediately following motor skill practice over the course of a six week intervention period, facilitates motor memory consolidation. In this experimental trial, participants will be randomly allocated to either an intervention group (motor skill practice + aerobic exercise) or control group (motor skill practice + seated rest).

Conditions

Parkinson Disease

Keywords

Parkinson's Disease; motor learning; neuroplasticity; aerobic exercise; cardiovascular exercise; balance; postural instability; motor memory; consolidation

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Time in balance

  Motor memory consolidation: Change of time in balance (angular displacement ±5° from horizontal) over the course of all six skill practice sessions and the seven day retention test.

  Week 1: performance at Baseline, Week 2 - 7: performance at practice session, Week 8: seven day retention performance

Secondary Outcomes (8)

• Root mean square error (RMSE)

  Week 1: performance at Baseline, Week 2 - 7: performance at practice session, Week 8: seven day retention performance

• Dual-Task-Performance: Counting Backwards

  Week 1: performance at baseline; Week 8: performance at seven day retention

• Transfer Test Performance: Fullerton Advanced Balance Scale (FAB - Scale)

  Week 1: performance at baseline; Week 8: performance at seven day retention

• Muscular Endurance: Five Times Sit to Stand Test

  Week 1: performance at baseline; Week 8: performance at seven day retention

• BDNF - Levels (Brain-derived neurotrophic factor)

  Week 1: BDNF concentration at baseline; Week 2 a + b: BDNF concentration before (a) and after (b) Intervention; Session: 7 a + b: BDNF concentration before (a) and after (b) Intervention; Week 8: BDNF concentration at seven day retention

Study Arms (2)

motor skill practice + aerobic exercise

EXPERIMENTAL

bout of aerobic exercise following motor skill practice

Behavioral: motor skill practice; Behavioral: aerobic exercise

motor skill practice + rest

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

seated rest following motor skill practice

Behavioral: motor skill practice; Behavioral: rest

Interventions

motor skill practice BEHAVIORAL

Motor learning task on a stability platform (stabilometer). Participants try to keep the tiltable platform in a horizontal position in trials of 30s.

motor skill practice + aerobic exercise; motor skill practice + rest

aerobic exercise BEHAVIORAL

A bout of moderate intensity aerobic exercise on a cycle ergometer following motor skill practice.

motor skill practice + aerobic exercise

rest BEHAVIORAL

Seated rest following motor skill practice.

motor skill practice + rest

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 85 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Parkinson's disease stage 1-3,5 on Hoehn \& Yahr scale
• Ability to stand unaided and walk without an assistive device
• Stable medication during the study period
• Unfamiliar to the motor task (stabilometer)

You may not qualify if:

• 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

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Erlangen-Nürnberg: lead
• German Foundation for Neurology: collaborator
• Klinik für Neurologie, Klinikum Würzburg Mitte, Standort Juliusspital: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Heidelberg University, Institute of Sport and Sport Science, Im Neuenheimer Feld 720

Heidelberg, Bade-Wuerttemberg, 69120, Germany

Location

Related Links

• project website

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Parkinson Disease

Interventions

Exercise; RE1-silencing transcription factor

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)

Motor Activity; Movement; Musculoskeletal Physiological Phenomena; Musculoskeletal and Neural Physiological Phenomena

Study Officials

• Simon Steib, Dr.

  Institute of Sport and Sport Science, Heidelberg University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Principal Investigator

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: October 12, 2020
• First Posted: December 4, 2020
• Study Start: July 1, 2022
• Primary Completion: April 8, 2024
• Study Completion: April 15, 2024
• Last Updated: December 10, 2024

Record last verified: 2024-12

Locations

DE (1)