In Parkinson Disease, Regular Exercise Improves Motor, Nonmotor Function

Patients with Parkinson disease (PD) can better preserve their motor and nonmotor functions if they habitually exercise, according to a new study.

The researchers say this can probably be attributed to an increased dopamine release after exercise.

To determine the release level of exercise‐induced dopamine in the dorsal striatum, the researchers administered raclopride positron emission tomography (PET) scans before and after stationary cycling to 8 participants with PD who exercised regularly and to 9 participants with PD who did not.

Ventral striatum activation during reward anticipation was measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and all 17 participants completed motor (UPDRS III, finger tapping, and timed‐up‐and‐go) and nonmotor (Beck Depression Inventory and Starkstein Apathy Scale) assessments.

The PET scans revealed that participants who exercised regularly had a greater dopamine release, while the MRIs revealed the same participants had a greater activation of ventral striatum.

Participants who exercised regularly also recorded lower apathy and bradykinesia than those who did not exercise regularly.

“This study formulates a foundation for prospective, randomized controlled studies,” the researchers concluded.

—Colleen Murphy

Reference:

Sacheli M, Murray DK, Vafai N, et al. Habitual exercisers versus sedentary subjects with Parkinson's disease: multimodal PET and fMRI study [published online October 30, 2018]. Mov Disord. https://doi.org/10.1002/mds.27498