Although Parkinson's disease is mainly known for shaking and movement problems, a substantial number of patients with Parkinson's disease suffer from a decline in their cognitive abilities and vision.
Ergun Uc, MD, associate professor and neurologist at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, and a staff neurologist at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Iowa City, and colleagues at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics found in their National Institutes of Health-funded research that cognitive and visual dysfunction are important problems that impair independence and driving abilities in patients with Parkinson's disease. But it is not known how cognition in Parkinson's disease can be improved.
Uc and colleagues are starting a new study to investigate if aerobic exercise can improve cognition in patients with Parkinson's disease. This new study is funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs and supported by the UI Institute for Clinical and Translational Sciences.
Uc talks about the new study that looks at exercise and Parkinson's patents:
What is the basis of the study involving Parkinson's patients and exercise?
Improving cardiac fitness appears to increase brain circulation and slow down the aging of the brain. Past research has shown that aerobic exercise improves executive functions in elderly who normally don't exercise. Executive functions include planning and decision-making, and lost in executive functions is the main cognitive or mental problem in Parkinson's disease. Thus, the idea behind the study is to see if one can improve mental function in Parkinson's disease by improving cardiac fitness using aerobic exercise.
It's also based on our own findings. We studied the role of cardiac fitness in Parkinson's disease and found that patients with higher cardiac fitness did better on tests of executive functions, mental abilities, and mobility regardless of their age, education, or Parkinson's disease severity.
So using these findings, we obtained a grant from the Department of Veterans Affairs to investigate the effect of aerobic exercise on brain function and mental abilities in Parkinson's disease.
Who are you recruiting to take part in this Parkinson's study?
We are recruiting patients with mild to moderate Parkinson's disease. The candidates should be able to walk without a cane or a walker, and not suffer from any significant medical, orthopaedic, or psychiatric illness. They should have the mental capacity to decide for themselves to participate in the study. They should be able to take an MRI test without any problems.
What will participants be asked to do as part of the study?
Participants will be asked to engage in a six-month long, supervised training program. The exercise program will involve three sessions per week. Before the exercise program, the participants will undergo a brain MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), an exercise test, various blood tests, and a physical exam. These tests will be repeated after the exercise program is completed to see the effects of the training on brain function. During the six-months of training, the participants will have two brief visits with us to check on their general health.
How long will the overall study last?
The study is going to last about three years and each participant will spend six months for the exercise program, and the testing before and after the study will add another month for their participation in the study.
What are you hoping to learn from this study?
We hope to learn if improving cardiac fitness improves brain function in Parkinson's disease. Our second goal is to choose the best exercise training program among the four programs we are going to administer. After determining the most effective, safest, and tolerable program; we plan to study the effects of the best program on real life function and outcomes in Parkinson's disease.
If someone is interested in participating, how can they join the study?
The best way is to e-mail me at ergun-uc@uiowa.edu or call 356-8754. |
