Identifying the Neural Signature of Exercise to Advance Treatment of PD Cognitive Declines

February 24, 2026 updated by: Jay Alberts, The Cleveland Clinic
Twenty-five participants with PD utilizing the Medtronic Percept PC DBS system will be enrolled for this project and complete a single bout of both FE and VE. The 150-minute experimental session will be completed in the OFF antiparkinsonian and Off-DBS state.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurological disease, most prevalent in older adults, estimated to affect over 12 million people world-wide by 2040. Traditionally considered a motor disorder, the impact of PD on cognitive performance is now widely accepted with 80% of PD patients developing executive function impairments. Typical PD related cognitive effects include impaired information processing, set-switching, working memory and dual-tasking. While antiparkinsonian medication and deep brain simulation (DBS) are effective in managing disease symptoms, disease modification has remained elusive. Exercise has been proposed as the Universal Prescription for PD capable of slowing disease progression; stationary cycling in particular has been suggested as an ideal exercise modality for people with PD (PwPD). The investigator's seminal tandem cycling study was the first to utilize forced exercise (FE) in human PD patients and demonstrated a 30% improvement in clinical ratings compared to voluntary exercise (VE). Briefly, FE is a mode of high intensity exercise originating in animal models of PD in which voluntary exercise rate is augmented, but not replaced. Thus, PwPD were assisted in pedaling at a higher rate (cadence) on the tandem cycle compared to those on a standard stationary cycle performing voluntary exercise (VE). This work resulted in a paradigm shift in terms of recommending high intensity exercise for PwPD. Despite the potential of exercise to alter disease progression, its mechanism of action and effects on basal ganglia function are not understood.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

25

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

  • United States
    • Ohio
      • Cleveland, Ohio, United States, 44195
        • Cleveland Clinic

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

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adult with a diagnosis of PD by a movement disorders neurologist
  • Previous placement, at least six months, of bilateral Medtronic Precept DBS as standard of care treatment for their PD.
  • Stable and clinically optimized DBS parameters for three months prior to enrollment.
  • Demonstrate the ability to safely mount and dismount a recumbent exercise cycle with an upright back.
  • Willingness to withhold antiparkinsonian medication and DBS stimulation.
  • Exercise clearance using the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Pre-participation Health Screen: a. If the ACSM screen recommends medical clearance, the subject must obtain medical clearance by their health care provider prior to participation; b. Those who choose not to obtain physician clearance will not be eligible for participation.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Diagnosis of dementia or any neurocognitive impairment that compromises the ability to provide informed consent.
  • A musculoskeletal issue that limits one's ability to cycle
  • Neurological disease other than Parkinson's disease (i.e. multiple sclerosis, stroke) that impacts motor or cognitive function
  • Uncontrolled cardiovascular risk factor such as a current cardiac arrhythmia, uncontrolled hypertension, untreated deep vein thrombosis, etc.

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: Basic Science
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Experimental Arm
Two modes of high intensity exercise.
Other: Forced and voluntary exercise
Twenty-five participants with PD utilizing the Medtronic Percept PC DBS system will be enrolled for this project and complete a single bout of both FE and VE. The 150-minute experimental session will be completed in the OFF antiparkinsonian and Off-DBS state.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Local Field Potentials during Cognitive Testing
Time Frame: an average of 3 total days
Change in power in frequency bands of interest
an average of 3 total days
Trail Making Test A & B
Time Frame: an average of 3 total days
Change in neuropsychological tests designed to evaluate set-switching and attention
an average of 3 total days
Information Processing
Time Frame: an average of 3 total days
Change in mobile application of simple and choice reaction time
an average of 3 total days
N-Back Test
Time Frame: an average of 3 total days
Change in working memory test of word recall
an average of 3 total days
Force-tracking with n-back
Time Frame: an average of 3 total days
Change in upper extremity motor control assessment with cognitive component
an average of 3 total days

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

The Cleveland Clinic

Collaborators

United States Department of Defense

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Jay Alberts, Ph.D., staff

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.

General Publications

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)

August 15, 2023

Primary Completion (Actual)

February 12, 2026

Study Completion (Actual)

February 12, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

July 11, 2023

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 1, 2023

First Posted (Actual)

August 2, 2023

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

February 27, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 24, 2026

Last Verified

February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 22-568

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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