Partnered Dance Aerobic Exercise as a Neuroprotective, Motor and Cognitive Intervention in Parkinson's Disease

Running, not enrolling · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Parkinson's Disease, Exercise Therapy, Cognition

In brief

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a difficult to treat condition that impairs mobility and thinking. It is not fully treated by drugs and surgery. Two priority issues for most people with PD are "OFF-time" and Cognitive impairment. Even under best medical management, 74% of people with PD experience "OFF-time," which is when medications are just not working right. OFF-time severely impacts both quality of life and thinking. Cognitive problems are found even in newly diagnosed people with PD and are very difficult to treat. However, the investigators' research has shown that partnered dance-aerobic exercise (PDAE) reduces OFF-time on the official test for OFF-time of the Movement Disorders Society, the Movement Disorders Society Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale-IV, (MDS-UPDRS-IV). PDAE improves other symptoms too. Benefits of the therapy have lasted for at least one-month after PDAE sessions stopped. PDAE provides aerobic exercise during an improvisational, cognitively-engaging physical activity. Cognitive engagement is a critical component of PDAE. Previous research showed PDAE improved spatial cognition, the ability to navigate, to mentally picture shapes and paths in the mind and to know the relationships between objects, people and places. Also, the investigators showed with imaging of the brain using a magnet in a scanner that twice weekly PDAE training increases activity in brain regions used in thinking and decision making. The investigators know that exercise benefits mobility and cognitive problems. The investigators even think exercise might protect brain cells in people with PD. But no one has really been able to show with biomarkers that exercise is protective of brain cells in humans.

Key facts

Study ID: NCT04122690
Run by: VA Office of Research and Development
People needed: 82
Starts: 2021-01-25
Expected to finish: 2026-12-15
Last updated by the study team: 2026-01-13

Who can join

Age: 40 and older, up to 89. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

Age: older than 40 years (40 is upper limit for young onset PD)
Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score >17
Able to walk with or without an assistive device at least 10 feet
Best corrected/aided acuity better than 20/70 in the better eye
Willingness to be randomized to either group
H\&Y stages I-III
Report OFF times (reporting >0 on item 4.3 of the UPDRS-IV)
Show clear symptomatic benefit from antiparkinsonian medications
e.g., alleviated rigidity, bradykinesia, and tremor
Fluent in English to comprehend and participate

You may not qualify if…

Untreated Major Depression and major psychiatric illness
History of stroke, or traumatic brain injury
Pure-tone threshold average sensitivity at 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 kHz exceeds 40 dB
Previous participation in PDAE or WAE classes.
Alcohol abuse and/or use of antipsychotics
Lives outside of the study site or is planning to move out of the area in next year or leave the area for >1 month during the next year
Taking moderate to high doses of beta-blockers with a resting heart rate below 60 beats/min since exercise intensity is measured through target heart rate.
Severe cardiac disease, including:
New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class III or IV congestive heart failure
clinically significant aortic stenosis
history of cardiac arrest, use of a cardiac defibrillator
uncontrolled angina
as discussed we are not planning to perform routine exercise tolerance tests prior to enrollment
Other significant co-morbid disease that would impair ability to participate in the exercise-based intervention
e.g. renal failure on hemodialysis, excessive alcohol use (>14 drinks per wk)
Any contraindications to MRI eg claustrophobia, etc

Where it is running

Atlanta VA Medical and Rehab Center, Decatur, GA — Decatur, Georgia, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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