Impact of physical exercise on reaction time in patients with Parkinson's disease-data from the Berlin BIG Study.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether physical activity may affect cognitive performance in patients with Parkinson's disease by measuring reaction times in patients participating in the Berlin BIG study.


METHODS
Randomized controlled trial, rater-blinded.


METHODS
Ambulatory care.


METHODS
Patients with mild to moderate Parkinson's disease (N=60) were randomly allocated to 3 treatment arms. Outcome was measured at the termination of training and at follow-up 16 weeks after baseline in 58 patients (completers).


METHODS
Patients received 16 hours of individual Lee Silverman Voice Treatment-BIG training (BIG; duration of treatment, 4wk), 16 hours of group training with Nordic Walking (WALK; duration of treatment, 8wk), or nonsupervised domestic exercise (HOME; duration of instruction, 1hr).


METHODS
Cued reaction time (cRT) and noncued reaction time (nRT).


RESULTS
Differences between treatment groups in improvement in reaction times from baseline to intermediate and baseline to follow-up assessments were observed for cRT but not for nRT. Pairwise t test comparisons revealed differences in change in cRT at both measurements between BIG and HOME groups (intermediate: -52ms; 95% confidence interval [CI], -84/-20; P=.002; follow-up: 55ms; CI, -105/-6; P=.030) and between WALK and HOME groups (intermediate: -61ms; CI, -120/-2; P=.042; follow-up: -78ms; CI, -136/-20; P=.010). There was no difference between BIG and WALK groups (intermediate: 9ms; CI, -49/67; P=.742; follow-up: 23ms; CI, -27/72; P=.361).


CONCLUSIONS
Supervised physical exercise with Lee Silverman Voice Treatment-BIG or Nordic Walking is associated with improvement in cognitive aspects of movement preparation.
Movement Disorders Hospital, Beelitz-Heilstätten, Germany. Electronic address: ebersbach@parkinson-beelitz.de.
Georg
G
Ebersbach
Movement Disorders Hospital, Beelitz-Heilstätten, Germany.
Almut
A
Ebersbach
Movement Disorders Hospital, Beelitz-Heilstätten, Germany.
Florin
F
Gandor
Institute of Medical Biometrics and Clinical Epidemiology, Charité University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Brigitte
B
Wegner
Vivantes-Klinikum Spandau, Berlin, Germany.
Jörg
J
Wissel
Department of Neurology and Stereotactic Neurosurgery, Otto-von-Guericke-University, Magdeburg, Germany.
Andreas
A
Kupsch
D000368:Aged; D001604:Berlin; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D011788:Quality of Life; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology*
Exercise; Parkinson's disease; Reaction times; Rehabilitation