Chinese Exercise Modalities in Parkinson's Disease

August 17, 2006 updated by: National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)
This study will compare the effects of two Chinese and one Western exercise modalities on the signs and symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

The long-term goal of this project is to study the effects of different exercise modalities on Parkinson's disease (PD). PD is a disorder whose primary disability stems from motor dysfunction including balance. Recent studies have shown that the risk of falling in the elderly can be reduced through the practice of the Chinese complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) such as T'ai Chi Chuan (TCC). This finding may be highly significant to PD. Although a recent report from Emory suggests PD patients can do well with aerobic (walk-run) exercise training (AET), it is still unclear whether the potential anti-Parkinsonian effect of such modalities is secondary to improved physical fitness (CRF), motor control or both. CAM interventions such as TCC may offer a unique opportunity to examine these fundamental questions.

In PD we hypothesize that exercise training will reduce primary and secondary disability and that some of these changes represent adaptive reprogramming of central motor pathways. We will conduct a controlled double-blind, 16-week dose-response study of exercise based on caloric expenditure and thus on the cardiorespiratory fitness effects of exercise (CRF). The treatments will be Qi Gong (minimal caloric expenditure), TCC (low expenditure), and walk-cycle AET (moderate expenditure).

We will examine exercise-induced change in motor control using quantitative measures of motor disability, including dynamic gait stability measures. We will also examine exercise effects on central and peripheral indices of Parkinsonian motor disability.

A caloric "dose-response" effect of exercise would suggest CRF is a major determinant of the anti-Parkinsonian effects of exercise. If the Chinese modalities are as effective or superior to AET however, this would suggest that other mechanisms such as change in central motor programming may be playing a role (e.g. relaxation effects, reinforcement of central motor programs?). A better understanding of exercise-induced neural plasticity and motor control would offer a significant, and heretofore unexploited rehabilitative potential in PD.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment

40

Phase

  • Phase 2
  • Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Georgia
      • Atlanta, Georgia, United States, 30329
        • Emory University School of Medicine

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

40 years to 85 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Ambulatory patients with Parkinson's Disease, defined as a clinical state in which at least two of these four cardinal features are present- 1) slowness of movement, 2) tremor at rest, 3) muscular rigidity, 4) gait disturbance or posture imbalance.
  • Ambulatory patients with Parkinson's Disease not exercising regularly more than 2x per week. Willing to be randomly assigned to 1 of the 3 exercise modalities: Tai Chi, Qi Gong and Aerobic exercise.

NOTE THAT PARTICIPATION IN THE STUDY REQUIRES BI-WEEKLY PARTICIPATION IN A 16-WEEK SUPERVISED EXERCISE PROGRAM PLUS RELATED EVALUATIONS AT EMORY. ACCORDINGLY, RECRUITMENT IS LIMITED TO LOCAL PATIENTS.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Jorge L. Juncos, MD, Emory University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

January 23, 2002

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 23, 2002

First Posted (Estimate)

January 24, 2002

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

August 18, 2006

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 17, 2006

Last Verified

July 1, 2006

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • R01AT000612-01 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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