Associations between Cognitive and Daily Function in Comparison with Patient Exercise Patterns

Background: Parkinson’s disease affects about 7 to 10 million people worldwide. The condition has various motor and nonmotor symptoms, such as bradykinesia, rigidity, postural instability, tremor, depression, psychosis, and apathy. With no current cures for the condition, symptom management through medication and therapy targeting specific symptoms are key for patient treatment. A major part of this treatment plan includes routine exercise, as numerous studies have found correlations between exercise and improved motor and mental function among patients. Investigating all aspects of exercise as treatment, such as exercise type, frequency, and intensity, is needed so that treatment plans can be better tailored for specific patients.

Objective: Our study is investigating the effects of exercise type and frequency on a patient’s quality of life and cognitive impairment by collecting patient scores from tests like the MOCA and PDQ-8, which measure for those variables.

Current Status/Goals: Our study is currently drafting its first IRB protocol