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Clinical Trial
. 2024 Aug 29;19(8):e0309217.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0309217. eCollection 2024.

Sensorimotor functioning changes in response to global exercise versus handwriting upper limb exercise training in Parkinson's disease, results from a phase II randomised controlled trial

Íbis Ariana Peña de Moraes  1   2   3 , Johnny Collett  4 , Talita Dias da Silva  2   5 , Marloes Franssen  4   6 , Surabhi Mitta  7 , Paweł Zalewski  8   9 , Andy Meaney  4 , Derick Wade  4   10 , Hooshang Izadi  4   11 , Charlotte Winward  4   12 , Carlos Bandeira de Mello Monteiro  2   13 , Helen Dawes  1   14
Affiliations
Clinical Trial

Sensorimotor functioning changes in response to global exercise versus handwriting upper limb exercise training in Parkinson's disease, results from a phase II randomised controlled trial

Íbis Ariana Peña de Moraes et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Introduction: People with Parkinson's disease (PwPD) present motor alterations which can impact daily life tasks that require speed and/or accuracy of movement.

Objective: A sub analysis of NCT01439022, aiming to estimate the extent to which two different exercise training protocols (global and handwriting upper limb exercise training) impact reaction time, travel speed, and accuracy in PwPD.

Methods: Seventy PwPD, right-side dominant were randomised 1:1 into two six-month training protocol groups; 35 PwPD performed global exercise training and 35 performed specific training (handwriting upper limb exercise movements). Assessments of speed-accuracy and trade-off were carried out at baseline, after 3 and 6 months of training, and at a 12-month follow-up. The current study used data from a previous publication of a randomised controlled trial that included a 6-month self-managed community exercise programme for PwPD. For the present study we included only the participants who completed the Fitts' task during the baseline assessment.

Results: In the upper limb assessments, no main effects were found for the number of touches, but the exercise group showed a marginal increase over time on the left side. Error averages on the left side decreased significantly for the exercise group from baseline to 6 and 12 months. The exercise group also presented a lower Error CoV and the Reaction Time CoV increased on the right side. Significant findings for Fitts r on the left side indicated lower values for the exercise group, with improvements continuing at 12 months.

Conclusion: We report the potential of global exercise interventions to facilitate improvements in reaction time and travel speed, as well as other motor control metrics, with lasting effects at 12 months, particularly on the non-dominant side.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. CONSORT flow diagram.
Fig 2
Fig 2. Representative design of the Fitts’ task using the touchscreen interface.
A- example of the first trial with a small target; B- moving to a bigger target; C- touching in the second trial with a bigger target.
Fig 3
Fig 3. Representation of mean and standard error of touches, error average, and error CoV in the four assessments in the exercise and handwriting groups.
* p < 0.05 # p > 0.05 < 0.08.
Fig 4
Fig 4. Representation of mean and standard error of reaction time average and CoV, and of travel speed average and CoV in the four assessments in the exercise and handwriting groups.
* p < 0.05.
Fig 5
Fig 5. Representation of mean and standard error of Fitts r, slope, and intercept in the four assessments in the exercise and handwriting groups.
* p < 0.05.
Fig 6
Fig 6. Representation of movement time according to difficulty indices in the four assessments (A1-A4) in the exercise and handwriting groups.
A1: Baseline assessment; A2: 3-month assessment; A3: 6-month assessment; A4: 12-month follow-up.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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