Aerobic training effects on cognition and cerebrovascular function on patients with Parkinson disease.

• Grant number: 22/12562-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: April 01, 2024
• End date: March 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Physical Education
• Principal Investigator: Raphael Mendes Ritti Dias
• Grantee: Rafael Yokoyama Fecchio
• Host Institution: Universidade Nove de Julho (UNINOVE). Campus Vergueiro. São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) are at high risk for developing dementia. To date, there is no intervention (pharmacological or non-pharmacological) that has been proven to prevent cognitive decline in PD. It is possible to propose that aerobic training improves cognitive function in patients with PD mediated by changes in cerebrovascular function, and that these chronic adaptations are associated with acute increases on cerebral blood flow occurred during aerobic exercise. Therefore, the present study will evaluate the acute effect of aerobic exercise on cerebral blood flow during its execution, as well the chronic effects of aerobic training on cerebrovascular function and cognition in patients with PD. For this, patients with PD (Hohen Yahr stage 1 to 3) will be randomly allocated into 2 groups: i) aerobic training (cycle ergometer, 40 min, 60% of heart rate reserve) and ii) control (stretching, 30 min). In both groups, intervention sessions will be held 3 times per week for 12 weeks. Before and after the intervention period, assessments will be made of cognitive function (Montreal Cognitive Assessment, Stroop Test of Colours and Words and Trail Making Test), cerebrovascular function (transcranial Doppler: neurovascular coupling, vasomotor reactivity and cerebral autoregulation) and the acute cerebral blood flow response during exercise (transcranial Doppler). Intervention effects will be analysed using mixed ANOVA considering the group and time of evaluation as the main factors. Newman-Keuls post-hoc test will be used when necessary.