The Effect of Exercise on Individuals With Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) negatively affects the quality of life for a million individuals in
the United States. While medication and surgery are the most effective treatments for PD,
physicians and people with PD often delay using these treatments because of their
considerable adverse side effects. Until a cure for PD is discovered, there is a compelling
need to develop interventions that provide relief of symptoms without causing negative side
effects.

Recent research suggests that exercise may provide symptom relief in some characteristics of
PD. While various exercise interventions appear to effectively improve motor, functional,
and quality-of-life issues, the research is mixed regarding the nature, extent and duration
of these improvements. Understanding how multiple characteristics of PD change and whether
they can be modified by different exercise programs is essential to determining if an
exercise program is clinically effective for PD.

This study is designed to compare the initial (six months), and then long-term (2 years)
effect that 2 different exercise programs (progressive resistance program or flexibility
program) have on neuro-physiological, motor, functional, and quality-of-life issues in
individuals with Parkinson's disease. The goal is to determine which program is most
beneficial. Results from this study will be used to determine which exercise program
produces the most beneficial effects on neuro-physiological, motor, functional and
quality-of-life measures.

NOTE: Recruitment for Parkinson's disease participants is now closed. However, recruitment
for healthy control participants continues.

Inclusion Criteria:

- a diagnosis of PD

- Up to the age of 67

- on at least 1 DA drug, may be on several PD medications

- able to walk for six minutes (may take rest breaks)

- able to come off their PD medication for testing (12 hour overnight withdrawal of
antiparkinsonian medications)

- able to stay on stable PD medications for at least 6 months

- live within a 30 mile radius of Chicago

- Hoehn and Yahr Score: II - III while in the "Off" PD medication state

Exclusion Criteria:

- history of any other neurological disorder as determined by medical history and
neurological exam

- history of a known injury, disease, or other disorder that might interfere with motor
function in the proposed experiments

- a score less than 23 on the Mini-Mental State Examination

- currently involved in an active, ongoing formal exercise program deep brain
stimulation surgery

- known cardiac problem or significant hypertension

- depression that may interfere with regular exercise

- hallucinations or being treated for hallucinations