Dual task activities in Parkinson's disease

BACKGROUND: Parkinson's disease (PD) drastically affects motor and cognitive function, but evidence shows that motor-cognitive training improves disease symptoms. Motor-cognitive training in the home is scarcely investigated and eHealth methods can provide continual support for PD self-management. Feasibility testing is however required. OBJECTIVE: To assess the feasibility (i) Recruitment capability (ii) Acceptability and Suitability (iii) Demand and Safety of a home-based motor-cognitive eHealth exercise intervention in PD...

In Parkinson's disease (PD), impaired gait and cognition affect daily activities, particularly in the more advanced stages of the disease. This study investigated the relationship between gait parameters, cognitive performance, and brain morphology in patients with early untreated PD. 64 drug-naive PD patients and 47 healthy controls (HC) participated in the study. Single- and dual-task gait (counting task) were examined using an expanded Timed Up & Go Test measured on a GaitRite walkway. Measurements included gait speed, stride length, and cadence...

BACKGROUND: Neuromuscular dysfunction is common in older adults and more pronounced in neurodegenerative diseases. In Parkinson's disease (PD), a complex set of factors often prevents the effective performance of activities of daily living that require intact and simultaneous performance of the motor and cognitive tasks. METHODS: The cross-sectional study includes a multifactorial mixed-measure design. Between-subject factor grouping the sample will be Parkinson's Disease (early PD vs...

Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by the progressive dopaminergic neuron degeneration, resulting in striatal dopamine deficiency. Mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress are associated with PD pathogenesis. Physical activity (PA) has been shown to ameliorate neurological impairments and to impede age-related neuronal loss. In addition, skin fibroblasts have been identified as surrogate indicators of pathogenic processes correlating with clinical measures. The PARKEX study aims to compare the effects of two different PA programs, analyzing the impact on mitochondrial function in patients' skin fibroblasts as biomarkers for disease status and metabolic improvement...

BACKGROUND: The G2019S- LRRK2 gene mutation is a common cause of hereditary Parkinson's disease (PD), associated with a higher frequency of the postural instability gait difficulty (PIGD) motor phenotype yet with preserved cognition. This study investigated neurophysiological changes during motor and cognitive tasks in PD patients with and without the G2019S-LRRK2 mutation. METHODS: 33 iPD patients and 22 LRRK2-PD patients performed the visual Go/NoGo task (VGNG) during sitting (single-task) and walking (dual-task) while wearing a 64-channel EEG cap...

BACKGROUND: Electronic health (eHealth) technology offers the potential to support and motivate physical activity for symptom management in Parkinson's disease (PD). It is also recommended that motor exercise in PD be complemented with cognitive training aimed at attentional or executive functions. This paper describes the protocol for a double-blind randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effects of motor-cognitive training in the home environment, supported by eHealth. METHODS/DESIGN: The Support for home Training using Ehealth in Parkinsons diseaSe (STEPS) is a double-blind single center randomized controlled trial...

INTRODUCTION: Motor imagery (MI) skills can be affected in Parkinson's disease (PD). We aimed at assessing MI and brain functional changes after action observation and MI training (AOT-MI) associated with gait/balance exercises in PD patients with postural instability and gait disorders (PD-PIGD). METHODS: Twenty-five PD-PIGD patients were randomized into two groups: DUAL-TASK + AOT-MI group performed 6-week gait/balance training combined with AOT-MI; DUAL-TASK group performed the same exercises without AOT-MI...

BACKGROUND: Dual-task training (DTT) involves simultaneously motor and cognitive exercises. OBJECTIVES: To determine the effectiveness of DTT, in comparison to other interventions [single-task training (STT) and usual care (UC)], on gait and balance parameters, motor impairments, activities of daily living (ADLs) and quality of life (QoL) in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) immediately post-intervention and at 3, 6, and 12 months after therapy. METHODS: A meta-analysis was performed following PRISMA Guidelines through searching in PubMed, SCOPUS, WOS, CINAHL, SciELO and PEDro up to September 2022...

Olfaction is critical for maintaining daily life activities. It is crucial to measure olfactory performance for the diagnosis and treatment of certain neurodegenerative diseases. Moreover, impairments and a lack of quality in the olfactory system may indicate the early diagnosis of some diseases such as Parkinson's. In this context, there are several imaging methods available for evaluating olfactory function. In addition to the conventional methods used in measuring the brain's responsiveness to olfactory stimuli, this article presents a systematic review of the current applicability of optical brain imaging (i...

BACKGROUND: Dual-task training in Parkinson's disease (PD) improves spatiotemporal gait parameters, cognition, and quality of life. Virtual reality (VR) has been used as a therapeutic tool for patients to participate in activities in a safe environment, engage in multisensory experiences, and improve motivation and interest in rehabilitation. This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of fully immersive VR exergames with dual-task components in patients with PD. METHODS: We developed VR exergames (go/no-go punch game, go/no-go stepping game, and number punch game) to improve habitual behavior control using motor-cognitive dual-task performance in patients with PD...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Gait disorders in individuals with Parkinson's disease (IwPD) are among the most disabling symptoms. Physical exercise has been proposed for the treatment of IwPD because it shows positive effects on gait variables. Given the importance of physical activity in the rehabilitation process of IwPD, the assessment of interventions to identify those most promising for improving or maintaining gait performance is of great relevance. Therefore, this study evaluated the effects of Mat Pilates Training (MPT) and Multicomponent Training (MCT) on the spatiotemporal variables of gait in situations of daily dual-task performance in IwPD...

OBJECTIVES: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that impacts the dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra, leading to motor and non-motor symptoms, as well as changes in activities of daily living (ADL) and quality of life (QoL). Aquatic physical exercises and dual-task physical exercises have been used to manage PD symptoms. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a dual-task aquatic exercise program on the ADL, motor symptoms, and QoL of individuals with PD...

INTRODUCTION: Whilst non-motor experiences of daily living (NMeDL) reduce quality of life (QoL) in people with Parkinson's Disease (PD), research dedicated to NMeDL is lacking compared to motor symptoms. The aim of this Network Meta-Analysis (NMA) was to compare and determine the effects of exercise and dual-task training interventions on NMeDL for people with early-to-mid stage PD. METHODS: Eight electronic databases were systematically searched, identifying randomised control trials (RCTs) that assessed the effect of interventions on the Movement Disease Society - Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS); Part I scores...

BACKGROUND: Gait freezing is a common, disabling symptom of Parkinson's disease characterized by sudden motor arrest during walking. Adaptive deep brain stimulation devices that detect freezing and deliver real-time, symptom-specific stimulation are a potential treatment strategy. Real-time alterations in subthalamic nucleus firing patterns have been demonstrated with lower limb freezing, however, whether similar abnormal signatures occur with freezing provoked by cognitive load, is unknown...

BACKGROUND: Cognitive-motor dual-task (CMDT) is defined as the parallel processing of motor (eg, gait) and cognitive (eg, executive functions) activities and is an essential ability in daily life. Older adults living with frailty, chronic conditions (eg, neurodegenerative diseases), or multimorbidity pay high costs during CMDT. This can have serious consequences on the health and safety of older adults with chronic age-related conditions. However, CMDT rehabilitation can provide useful and effective therapies for these patients, particularly if delivered through technological devices...

Perturbation-based balance training (PBT) exposes individuals to a series of sudden upright balance perturbations to improve their reactive postural responses. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of a short PBT program on body balance recovery following a perturbation in individuals with freezing of gait due to Parkinson's disease. Volunteers (mean age = 64 years, SD = 10.6) were pseudorandomly assigned either to a PBT (n = 9) or to a resistance training (RT, n = 10) group...

BACKGROUND: Boxing training has become a popular form of exercise for people with Parkinson disease (PD). There is a dearth of high-quality feasibility, safety, and efficacy data on boxing training for PD. Feasibility of Instituting Graduated High-intensity Training (FIGHT-PD) aimed to examine these features in a periodized boxing training program featuring high-intensity physical and cognitive demands. OBJECTIVE: To conduct a feasibility study, aiming to address deficiencies in the current knowledge base and to provide data for future studies...

INTRODUCTION: Many of the activities in daily living require different walking skills such as straight walking (SW), walking with turning (WwT), curved walking (CW) or backward walking (BW) in a dual-task condition. However, there is a lack of evidence regarding the dual task cost (DTC) during different types of walking. Therefore, this study was planned to compare the DTC during different types of walking in people with Parkinson's disease (PwPD) and healthy controls. METHODS: Thirty-one PwPD and 31 healthy controls were included...

AIMS: Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) have various motor difficulties, including standing up, gait initiation and freezing of gait. These abnormalities are associated with cortico-subthalamic dysfunction. We aimed to reveal the characteristics of cortico-subthalamic activity in PD patients during different motor statuses. METHODS: Potentials were recorded in the superior parietal lobule (SPL), the primary motor cortex (M1), premotor cortex (PMC), and the bilateral subthalamic nucleus (STN) in 18 freely walking patients while sitting, standing, walking, dual-task walking, and freezing in medication "off" (Moff) and "on" (Mon) states...

Gait and balance problems commonly occur in Parkinson's disease (PD). However, balance tasks with only one performance objective (e.g., sit-to-stand) may not be sufficient, compared to dual motor tasks (e.g., carrying a tray while walking), to be applied to the assessments and interventions which are designed to promote PD patients' balance functioning, physical activity (PA) and health-related quality of life (HQoL). The aim of this study, therefore, was to determine whether advanced dynamic balance, measured by a demanding motor-motor dual task, is a significant predictor of PA/HQoL in older adults with and without PD...