Facilitating Motor Skill Learning in Parkinson's Disease II (FaST-PD II) (FaST-PD II)

March 23, 2020 updated by: Simon Steib, PhD, University of Erlangen-Nürnberg

Facilitating Motor Skill Learning by Aerobic Training in Parkinson's Disease II

The study is designed to assess the effects of cardiovascular (aerobic) exercise on motor skill learning in Parkinson patients. Specifically, the investigators examine whether a single bout of moderate-intense aerobic exercise, performed immediately following motor skill practice, facilitates motor memory consolidation. In this experimental trial, participants will be randomly allocated to either an intervention group (motor skill practice + aerobic exercise) or control group (motor skill practice + seated rest).

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that is characterized by motor control impairments, such as gait disturbances and postural instability. Beneficial effects of exercise are attributed to mechanisms of neuroplasticity, and task-specific motor training (repeated practice of a skill) is consequently considered to be a motor learning process. Importantly, the formation (acquisition) and consolidation of motor memories is impaired in PD compared to healthy individuals of similar age.

Thus, it is crucial to identify strategies to enhance motor learning in people with PD. Recent studies have accumulated evidence to show that acute (single bouts of) cardiovascular exercise can facilitate motor skill learning. However, this evidence is mainly derived from studying healthy individuals. In a first study including PD patients, we recently found improved motor memory consolidation, but not skill acquisition, when practice was preceded by a single bout of cardiovascular exercise.

These results suggest that acute exercise may enhance motor memory formation processes, but could potentially interfere with motor skill acquisition when performed prior to practice. Consequently, the present study investigates whether performing a single bout of cardiovascular exercise immediately following skill practice will enhance motor memory consolidation without affecting skill acquisition in PD.

In an experimental trial, participants will be randomly allocated to one of two groups. Both groups will practice balancing on a stability platform (motor learning task). The experimental group will additionally perform a bout of aerobic exercise (cycle ergometer) immediately following motor practice, while the control group will rest. Subsequently, motor skill retention will be tested after 24 hour and seven-days.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

18

Phase

  • Not Applicable

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

  • Germany
    • Bavaria
      • Erlangen, Bavaria, Germany, 91058
        • Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Department of Sport Science and Sport, Gebbertstr. 123b

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

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Parkinson's disease stage 1-3 on Hoehn & Yahr scale
  • Ability to stand unaided and walk without an assistive device
  • Stable medication during the study period
  • Unfamiliar to the motor learning task

Exclusion Criteria:

  • On-off and wearing-off phenomena
  • Unstable medical or psychiatric illness
  • Clinically relevant cardiovascular or orthopaedic disease
  • Severe polyneuropathy
  • Cognitive impairment
  • Smoking > 10 cigarettes/day
  • Caffeine > 6 cups of coffee/day
  • Alcohol > 50 g (two glasses)/day

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
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: motor skill practice + rest
seated rest following motor skill practice
Behavioral: motor learning
Motor learning task on a stability platform (Stabilometer). Participants try to keep the tiltable platform in a horizontal position.
Behavioral: rest
Seated rest following motor skill practice
Experimental: motor skill practice + aerobic exercise
acute bout of aerobic exercise following motor skill practice
Behavioral: aerobic exercise
Single-bout of moderate intensity aerobic exercise on a cycle ergometer following motor skill practice
Behavioral: motor learning
Motor learning task on a stability platform (Stabilometer). Participants try to keep the tiltable platform in a horizontal position.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Time in balance
Time Frame: Day 1: performance at end of skill acquisition (last practice block), Day 2: 24-hour retention performance, Day 3: seven-day retention performance
Motor memory consolidation: Change of time in balance (angular displacement ±5° from horizontal) from skill practice (last block of skill acquisition) to 24-hour and seven-day retention test.
Day 1: performance at end of skill acquisition (last practice block), Day 2: 24-hour retention performance, Day 3: seven-day retention performance

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Root mean square error (RMSE)
Time Frame: Day 1: performance at end of skill acquisition (last practice block), Day 2: 24-hour retention performance, Day 3: seven-day retention performance
Memory consolidation: Change of root mean square error (average angular deviation from horizontal) from skill practice (last block of skill acquisition) to one-day and seven-day retention test.
Day 1: performance at end of skill acquisition (last practice block), Day 2: 24-hour retention performance, Day 3: seven-day retention performance

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

University of Erlangen-Nürnberg

Collaborators

German Foundation for Neurology
Department of Molecular Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, University Erlangen-Nürnberg
Klinik für Neurologie, Krankenhaus Rummelsberg

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Simon Steib, Dr., Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Department of Sport Science and Sport

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

Helpful Links

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 Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

January 1, 2019

Primary Completion (Actual)

February 24, 2020

Study Completion (Actual)

February 24, 2020

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

March 20, 2019

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 20, 2019

First Posted (Actual)

March 22, 2019

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 24, 2020

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 23, 2020

Last Verified

March 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • DSN-2018

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

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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