Year: 2013
Type: article
Study design: Clinical Trial
Abstract: Forced-rate lower-extremity exercise has recently emerged as a potential safe and lowcost therapy for Parkinson's Disease (PD).The efficacy is believed to be dependent on high rates of exercise.In this study, we use functional connectivity (FC) MRI to further elucidate the mechanism underlying this rate-dependent effect.PD subjects were randomized to complete 8 weeks of forced, voluntary, or no exercise.Changes in brain connectivity were then analyzed as a function of pedaling rate.Changes in task-related FC (trFC) from the most affected motor cortex (*M1) to the ipsilateral thalamus were significantly positively correlated to pedaling rate.Changes in trFC between *M1 and the supplementary motor area were significantly negatively correlated to pedaling rate.This relationship persisted after 4 weeks of follow up.This indicates that patients who pedal faster tend to show stronger increases in cortico-subcortical trFC, and stronger decreases in cortico-cortical trFC.
Author: Chintan Shah
Institution: Case Western Reserve University
Language: English
Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2234012654