Health TrialsbyHealthPanel

Exercise & Brain Energetics in PD

ConditionParkinson Disease
Trial statusRecruiting
Trial phaseNot applicable
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age40-80
SponsorPacific Parkinson's Research Centre

About this trial

There is increasing evidence that the usage and delivery of energy to the brain, known as brain energetics, is altered in people with Parkinson's disease (PD). This project will explore whether exercise has a positive impact on brain energetics using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) brain scanning in PD subjects.

PD subjects will be scanned before and after a supervised exercise program to investigate the effect of exercise on brain energetics. In a separate study, the investigators will also scan healthy volunteers to compare brain energetics in the healthy brain with the brain energetics data in PD subjects acquired in this study.

Eligibility criteria

This trial does not accept healthy volunteers

Qualifiers

Idiopathic PD according to UK Brain Bank criteria (modified to permit inclusion of subjects with a family history)

Mild to moderate Parkinsonism (Hoehn & Yahr stages I-III)

Currently exercise less than 120 minutes per week (PD non-exercisers)

Disqualifiers

atypical Parkinson syndrome (progressive supranuclear palsy, multiple system atrophy, drug-induced etc.);

significant osteoporosis or arthritis;

history of cancer within 5 years of study participation;

high dose of radiation from other procedures within the year;

Trial design

Design model

Parallel

Treatments tested in this trial

  • Active exercise

    Other intervention

    Thrice-weekly supervised intense aerobic exercise classes on cycle ergometers, in groups, for six months. Percentage of VO2 max will be used to regulate exercise intensity, based on an initial aerobic exercise test.

  • Passive exercise

    Other intervention

    Thrice-weekly supervised passive exercise classes consisting of stretching and/or yoga, in groups, for six months.

Treatment groups

40 Participants
are divided into 2 treatment groups
Group A: Immediate intervention start: active exerciseActive comparator 1 intervention
Group B: Delayed intervention start: passive exercisePlacebo comparator 2 interventions

Trial outcomes

Primary outcomes

1

PET/MRI

CMRO2 will be computed from MRI data and CMRGlu from PET data; their ratio will be used to assess brain energetics.

Time frame
Six months

Secondary outcomes

Other outcomes

1

Clinical measure: motor function

Motor function will be assessed using the MDS-Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (part III). The scale consists of 18 questions with each assigned a value in the range 0-4. Higher values indicate increasingly severe motor complications.

Time frame
Six months
2

Clinical measure: cognitive function

Cognitive function will be assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. The assessment produces a score out of 30. Lower scores indicate increasingly impaired cognitive function.

Time frame
Six months

Sponsors and contacts

Click on the lead sponsor to view all of their trials.

Pacific Parkinson's Research Centre

Lead sponsor

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, Canada

Collaborator

Source ClinicalTrials.gov
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