The Effects of Aerobic Exercise on Parkinson's Disease
This study wants to learn how aerobic exercise affects people with Parkinson’s disease who have not started medication for their Parkinson’s symptoms. It will compare two types of treadmill exercise – moderate-intensity and high-intensity – to see how they impact Parkinson’s symptoms.
Why this Research Matters
This is an exercise research study for people who were recently diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
Aerobic exercise is an important treatment for people living with Parkinson's disease. Medication helps alleviate Parkinson’s symptoms; it is not known to slow the rate of disease progression. Aerobic exercise has the best evidence for possibly slowing Parkinson's disease progression. Both moderate- and high-intensity aerobic exercise are good for health, but we don’t know which one is better for people with Parkinson’s. This study will help us find out.
If you join this study, you will have a phone screening, and two in-person visits to make sure you qualify. If you join, you will be placed in one of two groups - like flipping a coin. You won’t get to choose your group. One group will do moderate-intensity exercise. The other group will do high-intensity exercise. Both groups will walk on a treadmill 4 days a week for about 30 minutes at a convenient location. During the study, you will occasionally visit the study team for neurological and physical assessments, exercise testing, and a brain scan. We will also take a small amount of blood from your arm using a needle.
The study lasts 2 years. You will exercise for 18 months and have monthly check-ins for the remaining 6 months.
Adults between 40-80 years old
You may qualify if you:
- Were diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in the last 3 years
- Are not taking Parkinson's medications yet
- Do not plan to start Parkinson's medications in the next 6 months
More information available at ClinicalTrials.gov:
NCT04284436
