Objective: To assess the relation between cognitive performance and physical exercise in Parkinson’s Disease patient.

Background: Cognitive deficit is a common non-motor symptom in PD, responsible for a huge impact on the quality of life. It’s known that physical exercises improve cognitive function(1). The ProParki project includes and provides physical activities, aiming to improve quality of life and soften symptoms. This study seeks to expose the impact of a physical exercise program in a small group of PD patients when compared to sedentary ones. It can show how efficient the encouragement of physical exercises is for PD patients as an important non-pharmacological therapeutic option for a cognitive deficit

Method: This was a cross-sectional study. We included 20 patients divided into two groups: 10 patients who practice physical activities in the ProParki project and another group with 10 sedentary PD patients from Hospital de Clínicas from Campinas University. The ProParki activities were based on muscle-building, balance training and socializing, three times a week and was held at the Universidade do Estado de São Paulo – UNESP located in Rio Claro, SP. All patients underwent a SCOPA-COG scale for cognitive function analysis. A GLM was applied to compare the two groups and the scale scores were included as the independent variable. The time of levodopa use, time of disease, age and schooling were included was covariates.

Results: The ProParki patients had higher SCOPA-COG scores than sedentary individuals. The sub-item memory, was significant different between groups. This shows a good impact on PD patient’s memory, even in a small group.

Conclusion: Physical activity is an important non-pharmacological therapeutic to improve non-motor symptoms like cognitive function. This study exposed that even in a small groups of patients, the benefits from physical activities were noticed. Improving the quality of life of patients with PD.

References: 1:da Silva FC, Iop RDR, de Oliveira LC, Boll AM, de Alvarenga JGS, Gutierres Filho PJB, de Melo LMAB, Xavier AJ, da Silva R. Effects of physical exercise programs on cognitive function in Parkinson’s disease patients: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials of the last 10 years.

« Back to 2019 International Congress

MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/the-influence-of-physical-activities-on-cognition-in-small-group-of-parkinsons-disease-patients/