Prior exercise improves reactivity and movement in patients with Parkinson's disease.

Thomas Müller (1) , Siegfried Muhlack (2)

1 Department of Neurology, St Josef Hospital Bochum
2 Department of Neurology st Joseph Hospital Berlin

Abstract Background Following cued levodopa (LD) intake, endurance exercise showed a beneficial effect on scored motor performance in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) in comparison with rest. This may result from an exercise induced increase of endogenous dopamine synthesis. As a result, beneficial effects on movement and reactivity may occur. Objectives To measure reactivity and motor performance in a repeated fashion with instrumental tasks after cued administration of soluble 200 mg LD/50 mg benserazide. Design PD patients consecutively performed paradigms, which assess reactivity and movement performance, after a standardised period of rest or of age related, heart rate adapted endurance exercise on two consecutive days in random order. Results Reactivity and execution of simple and complex motion series were significant better following exercise than after rest. Discussion Endurance exercise has a beneficial effect on reactivity and movement behavior in PD patients following cued application of LD probably due to an augmented synthesis of dopamine respectively other catecholamines and release in the prefrontal cortex, the nucleus accumbens and the basal ganglia. Small changes in catecholamine modulation of prefrontal cortex cells can have profound effects on the ability of the prefrontal cortex to guide behaviour. Previous exercise may also improve pedunculopontine nucleus function, which is involved in motor related attention processes.

Mots clés: MOVEMENT DISORDERS; NEUROPHYSIOLOGY; MOTOR; PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Thomas Müller, Siegfried Muhlack. Prior exercise improves reactivity and movement in patients with Parkinson's disease.. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, 2010, 81 (7), pp.747. ⟨10.1136/jnnp.2009.174987⟩. ⟨hal-00557405⟩