Effects of Patient-Specific Adaptive Dynamic Cycling on Function Improvement in Individuals With Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurological disorder that results in slowness of movement, muscle stiffness, tremor, and postural instability. These symptoms significantly affect PD patients' quality of life, independence, and functional performance. There is currently no cure for PD, but symptoms can be treated with levodopa or deep brain stimulation surgery. Exercise-based rehabilitation has similar beneficial effects to surgical and pharmacological management without the potential negative side effects. Cycling-based interventions have been shown to increases motor function and mobility in individuals with PD. Specifically, benefits are greater when cycling cadence (revolutions per minute, RPM) is 30% greater than a self-selected pace.

Although high cadence cycling improves motor function in individuals with PD, there is significant heterogeneity in individual responses. To maximize the treatment effects and minimize the heterogeneity of high-cadence cycling, it is important to determine patient-specific settings. Previous studies have shown that higher variability (entropy) of cadence leads to greater improvement in motor function. The entropy of cadence calculation will be utilized to understand how patient-specific settings can drive improvements. The purpose of this study is to determine patient-specific settings and measure the effects of high cadence stationary (i.e. dynamic) cycling on functional performance in individuals with PD. Volunteers with Parkinson's disease will complete 12 cycling sessions over a 1-month period and measures of motor function, quality of life, functional performance, mood and exercise readiness will be collected.