Does Physical Activity Affect Early Prodromal Parkinson Symptoms?

A long-term study suggests so.

Researchers sought to uncover a potential relationship between physical activity and prodromal features of Parkinson disease (PD) — features that precede the clinical diagnosis — using the Nurses' Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. Participants were followed from 1986 through 2012, with assessments at baseline and longitudinally at many consecutive 24-month periods thereafter.

The odds of manifesting three or more prodromal features associated with later emergence of PD were approximately 35% lower in the cohort of patients classified at the study baseline in the highest quintile of physical activity compared with the lowest quintile. These prodromal features were constipation, probable REM sleep behavior disorder, ex…

Reviewing Author

Michael S. Okun, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardParkinson’s Foundation; Tourette Association of America

Speaker’s BureauMedscape/WebMD CME, Movement Disorders Society CME, American Academy of Neurology CME

RoyaltiesBooks4Patients; Demos; Cambridge; Taylor and Francis; Robert Rose; Public Affairs

Grant/Research SupportNational Institutes of Health; Parkinson’s Foundation; Tourette Association of America; University of Florida Foundation

Editorial BoardsTremor and Other Hyperkinetic Movements; JAMA Neurology

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesParkinson’s Foundation (Medical Advisor)