Endurance Exercise & Virtual Reality for Optimizing Cortical Excitability and Neuroplasticity in PD

High Intensity Endurance Exercise as a Primer to Virtual Reality for Optimizing Cortical Excitability and Neuroplasticity in Parkinson's Disease (PD)

This study aims to determine the effects of aerobic exercise as a primer to add-on virtual reality (VR)-based rehabilitation on balance, postural control and neuroplasticity (ability of brain to adapt in structure and function) in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). This study will utilize two groups - one group will receive the exercise and VR, while the other group will receive stretching exercise and VR over eight weeks. The study team will administer outcomes at baseline, post-intervention (8 weeks) and follow-up (6 weeks after post-assessment).

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Parkinson Disease
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: High intensity endurance exercise; Behavioral: Virtual reality (VR)-based gaming; Behavioral: Stretching exercise

Detailed Description

This study will enroll individuals diagnosed with Parkinson's disease who will be randomly assigned to 2 groups: 1) high intensity endurance exercise and virtual reality (experimental) or 2) stretching and virtual reality (control) for eight weeks (three sessions, thrice weekly). Outcomes will include balance and gait measures, blood-based biomarkers, neuroplasticity measures (assessed by transcranial magnetic stimulation), spinal reflex excitability (measured by H reflex) and quality of life.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 16
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Texas
    • San Antonio, Texas, United States, 78229
      • UT Health San Antonio- Dept. of Physical Therapy

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Diagnosis of idiopathic PD (ages 18 -85) in Hoehn and Yahr stages 2 - 3.
2. Subjects need to demonstrate a score of equal to or greater than 23 on the Mini Mental State Examination.
3. Subjects who have a score of ≤21.5 on the Mini Balance Evaluations Systems Test (miniBESTest).

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Subjects with a history of other neurological diseases (i.e., stroke, multiple sclerosis).
2. Subjects with a history of severe cardiopulmonary disease, uncontrolled hypertension, orthostatic hypotension, uncontrolled diabetes, severe osteoporosis, severe arthritis affecting their lower extremity joints.
3. Subjects with a history of PD-specific surgical procedures such as deep brain stimulation etc.
4. Subjects with a history of head injury.
5. Subjects with a history of seizures or epilepsy.
6. Subjects who are currently pregnant.
7. Individuals who use of medications that could alter corticomotor excitability or increase risk of seizure.
8. Individuals with skull abnormalities, fractures or unexplained, recurring headaches.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: High intensity endurance exercise and virtual reality (experimental); The exercise group will perform high intensity interval exercise and VR-based games 3 times a week for 8 weeks.	Behavioral: High intensity endurance exercise; High intensity interval exercise on a recumbent stepper for 30 minutes, 3 days per week.; Behavioral: Virtual reality (VR)-based gaming; VR games will involve games that challenge balance such as reaching different targets during activities such as sit to stand, dodging obstacles etc. Participants will play approximately 6 games for 30 minutes, 3 days a week.
Other: Stretching and virtual reality (control); The stretching group will perform stretching exercises and VR-based games 3 times a week for 8 weeks.	Behavioral: Virtual reality (VR)-based gaming; VR games will involve games that challenge balance such as reaching different targets during activities such as sit to stand, dodging obstacles etc. Participants will play approximately 6 games for 30 minutes, 3 days a week.; Behavioral: Stretching exercise; Stretches of face, neck, upper extremity, trunk and lower extremity muscles including whole body stretches for 30 minutes, 3 days per week.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Balance	Balance will be tested with the Mini Balance Evaluation Systems Test(miniBESTest), involving 14 different tasks including the timed up and go test to assess static and dynamic balance. Scores range from 0 to 28 with higher scores suggesting better balance.	Baseline, post (8 week), follow-up (14 weeks)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Postural stability	Postural stability will be assessed by the Biodex Balance System.	Baseline, post (8 week), follow-up (14 weeks)
Endurance	The 6-minute walk test will be used as a measure of cardiovascular endurance	Baseline, post (8 week), follow-up (14 weeks)
Spatiotemporal gait parameters	Spatiotemporal measures of gait will be acquired with the GAITRite™ gait mat.	Baseline, post (8 week), follow-up (14 weeks)
Brain derived neurotrophic growth factor (BDNF)	Blood sample will be obtained for measuring circulating levels of brain derived neurotrophic growth factor (BDNF).	Baseline, post (8 week), follow-up (14 weeks)
Corticomotor excitability	Corticomotor excitability for the tibialis anterior motor representations will be measured with single and paired pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).	Baseline, post (8 week), follow-up (14 weeks)
Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39)	The Parkinson's disease questionnaire (PDQ-39) is a self report questionnaire that will be used to evaluate quality of life. The questionnaire consists of 39 items with each item being rated on a 5-point scale. Lower scores suggest higher quality of life.	Baseline, post (8 week), follow-up (14 weeks)
Spinal reflex excitability	H reflexes will be recorded for quantifying spinal reflex excitability. The H wave amplitude will be expressed as a % of the M wave amplitude (H/M ratio).	Baseline, post (8 week), follow-up (14 weeks)
Parkinson's Disease Cognitive Rating Scale (PD-CRS)	The Parkinson's disease cognitive rating scale will be used to test frontal subcortical tasks such as attention, working memory, verbal fluency and posterior cortical tasks such as confrontation naming and copying a clock. Scores range from 0 - 134 and higher scores suggest better cognitive function.	Baseline, post (8 week), follow-up (14 weeks)

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
• Collaborators: National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Anjali Sivaramakrishnan, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): February 9, 2024
• Primary Completion (Actual): November 11, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): November 11, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 7, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 14, 2023
• First Posted (Actual): November 15, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): July 30, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 29, 2026
• Last Verified: July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Rehabilitation; Balance; Aerobic exercise; Virtual reality; Neurophysiology
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Synucleinopathies; Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Neurodegenerative Diseases; Movement Disorders; Parkinsonian Disorders; Basal Ganglia Diseases; Parkinson Disease; Motor Activity; Movement; Musculoskeletal Physiological Phenomena; Musculoskeletal and Neural Physiological Phenomena; Therapeutics; Physical Therapy Modalities; Patient Care; Exercise Therapy; Rehabilitation; Aftercare; Continuity of Patient Care; Exercise; Muscle Stretching Exercises
• Other Study ID Numbers: HSC20230433H; 1K12TR004529-01 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: All collected deidentified individual participant data (IPD) will be shared on an open source platform and summary results will be shared on ClinicalTrials.gov.
• IPD Sharing Time Frame: Upon publication of the study findings.
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: STUDY_PROTOCOL; SAP; ICF

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No