Investigating Exercise-Induced Neuroplasticity and its Mechanisms in Parkinson's Disease: Targeting Executive Function and Brain Circuitry

Abstract

Parkinsons disease (PD) is the second most frequent neurodegenerative disorder of old age. A common problem in PD is cognitive impairment. There are no effective treatments. Impairment in executive function (EF) is the most common subtype of cognitive impairment and leads to challenges in daily function, including decision making, multi-tasking, and quality of life. Exercise studies in the aging field and preliminary studies in our PD animal work support the role of high intensity skill practice and high motor fitness in promoting greater EF performance compared to aerobic exercise, and cardiovascular fitness (e.g. V02max). While, a wide range of exercise modalities have shown to improve motor performance in PD patients, investigations of the relationship between exercise and EF in PD and mechanisms of neuroplasticity remain a significant gap in knowledge. This application will address this gap through complementary translational studies in humans and animals. The purpose of this 18-month longitudinal clinical study is to examine the association between EF related cognitive performance and fitness levels, specifically cardiovascular and motor fitness, as well as exercise intensity. We hypothesize that high intensity regular exercise as well as High level of Motor fitness will be associated with greater level of cognitive EF performance over the 18-month period, than High levels of Cardiovascular Fitness or low intensity exercise. We also hypothesize that EF related brain circuity and connectivity will have a greater association with high level motor fitness than cardiovascular fitness and mediate the association between higher level of cognitive EF performance and motor fitness seen at 18 months.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 01, 2020
Accession Number
AD1124313

Entities

People

  • Giselle M. Petzinger

Organizations

  • University of Southern California

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Abstracts
  • Biomedical Research
  • California
  • Cognitive Impairment
  • Contracts
  • Covid-19
  • Data Analysis
  • Databases
  • Department Of Defense
  • Diseases And Disorders
  • Executives
  • Heart Rate
  • Maryland
  • Medical Personnel
  • Mental Processes
  • Neuroplasticity
  • Parkinson'S Disease
  • Students
  • Therapy
  • Training
  • Wearable Technology

Fields of Study

  • Medicine
  • Psychology

Readers

  • Microbial Pathology
  • Neurodegenerative Parkinson's Disease and Rickettsial Disease handbook, including the data level of dopamine, BC, neurons, and PD.
  • Psychological Intervention/Treatment for Stress, Anxiety, PTSD, and Related Emotional and Cognitive Health Symptoms.