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Aerobic Exercise Alters Brain Function and Structure in Parkinson's Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Martin E Johansson1,2, Ian G M Cameron3,4,5, Nicolien M Van der Kolk2
1Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Center for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Annals of Neurology
|December 24, 2021
Summary
Aerobic exercise stabilizes Parkinson's disease progression by improving brain connectivity and cognitive function. This study reveals exercise benefits for the corticostriatal sensorimotor network and cognitive control.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Exercise Physiology
- Clinical Neurology
Background:
- Randomized trials indicate aerobic exercise can slow motor symptom progression in Parkinson's disease (PD).
- The precise neural mechanisms by which exercise impacts PD remain incompletely understood.
- The corticostriatal sensorimotor network is implicated in PD motor deficits.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of aerobic exercise on functional and structural changes in the corticostriatal sensorimotor network in PD patients.
- To explore aerobic exercise's impact on substantia nigra tissue integrity.
- To examine exercise-induced changes in cognitive control behaviors and brain activity.
Main Methods:
- The study utilized data from the Park-in-Shape trial, a 6-month randomized controlled trial comparing aerobic exercise to stretching in 130 PD patients.
- A subset of participants (n=56) underwent resting-state functional and structural MRI and an oculomotor cognitive control task at baseline and follow-up.
- Interventions included stationary home trainer for aerobic exercise and active stretching as a control.
Main Results:
- Aerobic exercise significantly increased functional connectivity between the anterior putamen and sensorimotor cortex compared to stretching.
- Participants in the aerobic exercise group showed improvements in cognitive control tasks.
- Aerobic exercise enhanced functional connectivity in the right frontoparietal network, correlated with fitness gains, and reduced global brain atrophy.
Conclusions:
- Aerobic exercise demonstrates a stabilizing effect on disease progression within the corticostriatal sensorimotor network in Parkinson's disease.
- The findings suggest that aerobic exercise enhances cognitive performance and neural network integrity in PD patients.
- Combined MRI, clinical, and behavioral data support aerobic exercise as a beneficial intervention for Parkinson's disease management.
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