Enhancing both motor and cognitive functioning in Parkinson's disease: Aerobic exercise as a rehabilitative intervention.
BACKGROUND
Aerobic exercise training (AET) has been shown to provide health benefits in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). However, it is yet unknown to what extent AET also improves cognitive and procedural learning capacities, which ensure an optimal daily functioning.


OBJECTIVE
In the current study, we assessed the effects of a 3-month AET program on executive functions (EF), implicit motor sequence learning (MSL) capacity, as well as on different health-related outcome indicators.


METHODS
Twenty healthy controls (HC) and 19 early PD individuals participated in a supervised, high-intensity, stationary recumbent bike-training program (3 times/week for 12 weeks). Exercise prescription started at 20 min (+5 min/week up to 40 min) based on participant's maximal aerobic power. Before and after AET, EF tests assessed participants' inhibition and flexibility functions, whereas implicit MSL capacity was evaluated using a version of the Serial Reaction Time Task.


RESULTS
The AET program was effective as indicated by significant improvement in aerobic capacity in all participants. Most importantly, AET improved inhibition but not flexibility, and motor learning skill, in both groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that AET can be a valuable non-pharmacological intervention to promote physical fitness in early PD, but also better cognitive and procedural functioning.
Centre de Recherche de I'Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal, 4565 Queen-Mary Road, Montréal, Québec H3W 1W5, Canada; Unité de Neuroimagerie Fonctionelle, 4565 Queen-Mary Road, Montréal, Québec H3W 1W5, Canada; Département de psychologie, Université de Montréal, Pavillon Marie-Victorin, 90 avenue Vincent d'Indy, Montréal, Québec H2V 2S9, Canada. Electronic address: catherine.duchesne.1@umontreal.ca.
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Duchesne
Centre de Recherche de I'Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal, 4565 Queen-Mary Road, Montréal, Québec H3W 1W5, Canada; Unité de Neuroimagerie Fonctionelle, 4565 Queen-Mary Road, Montréal, Québec H3W 1W5, Canada; Département de psychiatrie, Université de Montréal, Pavillon Roger-Gaudry, 2900 Édouard-Montpetit Blvd., Montréal, Québec H3T 1J4, Canada; Centre for Research in Aging, Donald Berman Maimonides Geriatric Centre, 5795 Caldwell Ave., Montréal, Québec H4W 1W3, Canada. Electronic address: o.lungu@umontreal.ca.
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Lungu
Centre de Recherche de I'Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal, 4565 Queen-Mary Road, Montréal, Québec H3W 1W5, Canada; Unité de Neuroimagerie Fonctionelle, 4565 Queen-Mary Road, Montréal, Québec H3W 1W5, Canada; Département de psychologie, Université de Montréal, Pavillon Marie-Victorin, 90 avenue Vincent d'Indy, Montréal, Québec H2V 2S9, Canada. Electronic address: alexandra.nadeau.3@umontreal.ca.
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Nadeau
Centre de Recherche de I'Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal, 4565 Queen-Mary Road, Montréal, Québec H3W 1W5, Canada; Unité de Neuroimagerie Fonctionelle, 4565 Queen-Mary Road, Montréal, Québec H3W 1W5, Canada. Electronic address: meve.robillard@gmail.com.
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Robillard
Centre de Recherche de I'Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal, 4565 Queen-Mary Road, Montréal, Québec H3W 1W5, Canada; Unité de Neuroimagerie Fonctionelle, 4565 Queen-Mary Road, Montréal, Québec H3W 1W5, Canada. Electronic address: arnaud.bore@gmail.com.
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Boré
Centre de Recherche de I'Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal, 4565 Queen-Mary Road, Montréal, Québec H3W 1W5, Canada. Electronic address: florian.bobeuf@gmail.com.
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Bobeuf
McGill Movement Disorder Clinic, McGill University, 3801 University Street, Montréal, Québec H3A 2B4, Canada. Electronic address: anne-louise.lafontaine@mcgill.ca.
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Lafontaine
Department of Movement and Sport Sciences, Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Campus HILO, Watersportlaan 2, Ghent 9000, Belgium. Electronic address: freja.gheysen@ugent.be.
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Gheysen
Centre de Recherche de I'Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal, 4565 Queen-Mary Road, Montréal, Québec H3W 1W5, Canada; PERFORM Centre, Concordia University, Loyola Campus, 7200 Sherbrooke St. W., Montréal, Québec H4B 1R6, Canada. Electronic address: louis.bherer@concordia.ca.
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Bherer
Centre de Recherche de I'Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal, 4565 Queen-Mary Road, Montréal, Québec H3W 1W5, Canada; Unité de Neuroimagerie Fonctionelle, 4565 Queen-Mary Road, Montréal, Québec H3W 1W5, Canada; Département de psychologie, Université de Montréal, Pavillon Marie-Victorin, 90 avenue Vincent d'Indy, Montréal, Québec H2V 2S9, Canada. Electronic address: julien.doyon@umontreal.ca.
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Doyon
D000368:Aged; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D056344:Executive Function; D015444:Exercise; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019957:Motor Skills Disorders / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D010809:Physical Fitness
Aerobic exercise; Cognition; Executive functions; Motor; Parkinson’s disease; Procedural learning