Cortical and motor responses to acute forced exercise in Parkinson's disease.

Introduction: Studies in animal models of Parkinson's disease (PD) have suggested that the rate of exercise performance is important in treatment efficacy and neuroprotection. In humans with PD, lower-extremity forced-exercise (FE) produced global improvements in motor symptoms based on clinical ratings and biomechanical measures of upper extremity function.
Methods: fMRI was used to compare the underlying changes in brain activity in PD patients following the administration of anti-parkinsonian medication and following a session of FE.
Results: Nine individuals with PD completed fMRI scans under each condition: off anti-PD medication, on anti-PD medication, and off medication + FE. Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Motor Scale scores improved by 50% in the FE condition compared to the off-medication condition. The pattern of fMRI activation after FE was similar to that seen with anti-PD medication. Direct comparison of the fMRI activation patterns showed high correlation between FE and anti-PD medication.
Conclusion: These findings suggest that medication and FE likely utilize the same pathways to produce symptomatic relief in individuals with PD.
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