Single Bout Exercise on Learning in PD
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder associated with a loss of dopamine in the basal ganglia and is characterized by several cardinal motor signs. In addition to the commonly recognized motor symptoms, cognitive impairments are also often observed in people with PD. Unlike motor deficits, cognitive impairments are not always responsive to dopaminergic treatment. While medication may ameliorate some cognitive dysfunctions (e.g., executive function), it may exacerbate others (e.g., motor learning). Therefore, it is crucial for clinicians to look for treatment approaches, other than medication, to enhance cognitive function. In this proposed study, the investigators are especially interested in determining a method to enhance motor learning ability in people with PD. Motor learning deficits in people with PD have been well established through different tasks including motor adaptation task such as maintain balance on a stabilometer or motor sequence task such as performing a serial reaction time task (SRTT). Motor sequence learning is important in acquiring real-life motor skill such as tying shoes laces. Based on the past evidences, people with PD have impairments in motor sequence learning, particularly in implicit sequence learning. Since implicit motor sequence learning constitutes a critical part of everyday activities such as typing and changing clothes, establishing an approach to enhance implicit sequence learning is important. In the literature conducted with non-disable adults, one of the most effective method to enhance motor learning is aerobic exercise. Only one study, to the best of knowledge, has investigated the effect of aerobic exercise on learning to maintain balance on a stabilometer in people with PD. To date, no study has investigated whether a single bout of aerobic exercise could improve implicit sequence learning in PD. Therefore, the goal of this proposed study is to investigate the effect of a single bout of aerobic exercise on implicit sequence learning and the associated neurophysiological changes in people with PD.
Start: November 2019
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