Impact of Exercise in Parkinson's Disease
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ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03495193 |
Recruitment Status :
Completed
First Posted : April 11, 2018
Last Update Posted : April 26, 2019
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Condition or disease | Intervention/treatment | Phase |
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Parkinson Disease | Other: Exercise training Behavioral: Sleep hygiene | Not Applicable |
Study Type : | Interventional (Clinical Trial) |
Actual Enrollment : | 4 participants |
Allocation: | Randomized |
Intervention Model: | Parallel Assignment |
Intervention Model Description: | The proposed study is a randomized, controlled, interventional study to investigate the impact of a novel exercise intervention on executive dysfunction (Aim 1) and objective sleep outcomes (Aim 2) in patients with PD. Thirty participants with idiopathic PD will be recruited from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Movement Disorders Center and randomized (1:1) to one of two groups (15 per group): exercise intervention (Ex) group or no-exercise (no-Ex) control group. |
Masking: | None (Open Label) |
Primary Purpose: | Supportive Care |
Official Title: | Impact of a Novel Exercise Intervention on Executive Function and Sleep in Patients With Parkinson's Disease |
Actual Study Start Date : | May 18, 2017 |
Actual Primary Completion Date : | November 30, 2018 |
Actual Study Completion Date : | November 30, 2018 |

Arm | Intervention/treatment |
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Active Comparator: Exercise Group
Subjects randomized to the exercise training group will complete 16 weeks of exercise training. Exercise training will be performed 3x/week.
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Other: Exercise training
Exercise training will be performed 3x/week. After 2 sessions, training volume and intensity will progress over the first 4 sessions ramping up the number of sets to increase the volume. The full volume prescription will consist of: 1) 5 movements to improve strength and muscle mass (leg press, knee extension, chest press, overhead press, pull down), 3 sets each of 8-12 repetitions (~30 total repetitions); 2) trunk exercises to improve postural stability (trunk extension and flexion); 3) 3-4 bodyweight exercises (selected from a menu) to improve power and balance (e.g. step up, squat, jump squat, lunge, side lunge, push-up, assisted pull-up, assisted dip). Bodyweight movements will be modified as necessary to match abilities. |
Active Comparator: No Exercise Group
Subjects randomized to the no-Ex group will receive a handout with tips for improving sleep hygiene. Additionally, study staff will provide the title page for a book on sleep relaxation techniques that is recommended for persons with sleeping difficulty.
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Behavioral: Sleep hygiene
Subjects randomized to the no-exercise group will receive a handout with tips for improving sleep. Additionally, study staff will provide the title page for a book on sleep relaxation techniques that is recommended for persons with sleeping difficulty. Dr. Amara will review the sleep tips with the subjects and make recommendations for improving current sleep habits. Subjects will be contacted by telephone every 4 weeks during the 16-week intervention period. |
- Executive function (Stroop inhibition, Trails B-A, Controlled oral word association) [ Time Frame: changes from baseline to week 16 ]Changes in executive function will be measured by a change in a composite executive function score calculated from the mean of z-scores for Stroop inhibition, Trails B-A, and COWA.
- Sleep Efficiency [ Time Frame: changes from baseline and week 16 ]Change in sleep efficiency (the number of minutes asleep divided by the number of minutes in bed) between the baseline nocturnal polysomnography to the post-16 weeks of intervention nocturnal polysomnography

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Ages Eligible for Study: | 45 Years and older (Adult, Older Adult) |
Sexes Eligible for Study: | All |
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | No |
Inclusion Criteria:
- a clinical diagnosis of idiopathic PD, based on the presence of bradykinesia as well as rest tremor and/or rigidity;
- Hoehn and Yahr stage 2-3;
- age ≥ 45;
- on stable medications for at least 4 weeks prior to study entry;
- Participants must have Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score ≥ 18;
- No contraindications to an exercise program, based on the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q), resting physical examination, and 12-lead electrocardiogram.
Exclusion Criteria:
- features suggestive of atypical Parkinsonism (cerebellar signs, supranuclear gaze palsy, prominent autonomic failure, or prominent upper motor neuron signs);
- secondary Parkinsonism (multiple strokes with stepwise progression of Parkinsonism, neuroleptic treatment at time of diagnosis, or multiple head injuries);
- inability to walk without a cane or walker;
- regular participation in an exercise program in the past 6 months;
- presence of deep brain stimulator; and
- untreated sleep apnea.

To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT03495193
United States, Alabama | |
University of Alabama at Birmingham | |
Birmingham, Alabama, United States, 35233 |
Responsible Party: | Amy Amara, MD, Associate Professor of Neurology, University of Alabama at Birmingham |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT03495193 |
Other Study ID Numbers: |
IRB-170324012 |
First Posted: | April 11, 2018 Key Record Dates |
Last Update Posted: | April 26, 2019 |
Last Verified: | April 2019 |
Individual Participant Data (IPD) Sharing Statement: | |
Plan to Share IPD: | No |
Plan Description: | Only aggregate data will be shared. |
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Drug Product: | No |
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Device Product: | No |
exercise |
Parkinson Disease Parkinsonian Disorders Basal Ganglia Diseases Brain Diseases |
Central Nervous System Diseases Nervous System Diseases Movement Disorders Neurodegenerative Diseases |