Resistance training study enrolling Parkinson’s disease patients

A clinical trial designed to identify more effective resistance-training strategies to improve muscle strength, power, and the ability to perform everyday activities in people with Parkinson’s disease is recruiting patients with mild to moderate symptoms at the University of Miami in Florida.

The study (NCT07840508), dubbed “Comparison of Neuromuscular and Functional Adaptations to 10% and 30% Velocity-Loss Threshold Resistance Training in Persons with Parkinson’s Disease,” plans to enroll up to 20 patients, ages 50 to 85, who are able to walk at least 50 meters (about 164 feet) without assistance.

Participants will undergo five weeks of supervised resistance training, using one of two thresholds of movement speed loss for stopping the exercise. Resistance training uses weights, resistance bands, or the body’s own weight to strengthen muscles and increase their power.

“This study varies from others we have done because instead of focusing on how heavy a load a person can lift, the aim is to see if they can maintain that velocity without becoming fatigued,” Joseph Signorile, PhD, the trial’s principal investigator and director of University of Miami’s Laboratory of Neuromuscular Research and Active Aging in Coral Gables, Florida, said in a university news story.

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Parkinson’s is a progressive disease marked by both motor symptoms, such as tremors and slowed movements, and nonmotor symptoms, including cognitive difficulties and loss of sense of smell. It has a profound impact on a person’s daily life, and tends to affect more men than women.

Staying active with Parkinson’s may feel challenging, especially as symptoms worsen over time. For Robert Kennedy, 68, who has joined the study, movement is key to managing his disease. He swims daily and plays ice hockey twice a week.

“Once you stop moving, the disease takes over,” Kennedy said.

Regular exercise may help patients move more confidently and stay more independent in daily routines. However, which strategy gives the best outcomes in people with Parkinson’s remains unclear.

In this study, Signorile’s team will determine whether limiting fatigue in resistance training produces greater gains in strength and power or whether completing more repetitions leads to greater muscular adaptations.

“We are looking at short-term fatigue response through different exercise,” said Ethan Elkins, a graduate student at the University of Miami who is working on this study as his thesis. “This is important because fatigue can worsen the symptoms of Parkinson’s.”

Study participants will undergo resistance training sessions tailored to their abilities and needs. They will be asked to stop leg and chest press exercises, such as those shown in a university YouTube video, when their movement velocity decreases by either 10% or 30%. The 10% limit may result in fewer repetitions and less fatigue, while the 30% limit may allow more repetitions and a higher training volume.

Parkinson’s has affected my mobility and balance. But the exercises give me something to strive for, and I hope it can ultimately help me with all the symptoms of Parkinson’s.

The main outcome measures are changes in muscle strength and power, measured at the beginning and then again at the end of the study. Muscle strength will be assessed using the one-repetition maximum, which measures the maximum weight a patient can lift once during leg press and chest press exercises. Muscle power will be measured in watts, reflecting how quickly patients can produce force.

Secondary outcomes include changes in walking speed, the time needed to stand up from a chair five times and complete the Timed Up and Go test, upper-body power measured through a seated medicine ball throw, and muscle thickness and quality assessed using ultrasound scans. These measures will help determine whether either strategy improves muscle function.

For Raul Busto, 68, who has been living with Parkinson’s for two decades and uses a walker, the study has been helping him feel more confident after completing the exercises.

“Parkinson’s has affected my mobility and balance,” Busto said. “But the exercises give me something to strive for, and I hope it can ultimately help me with all the symptoms of Parkinson’s.”