The Benefits of Nature for Mood and Cognition in Persons With and Without Parkinson's Disease

Recruiting

• Conditions: Parkinson Disease; Mood; Cognition

• Registration Number: NCT06483126
• Lead Sponsor: Boston University Charles River Campus

Brief Summary

This online study aims to explore the benefits of nature for mood and cognition in persons with and without Parkinson's disease. For the purpose of this survey, "natural environment" refers to places that primarily consist of natural elements, such as vegetation, water bodies, and landscapes. This includes greenspaces (such as parks, gardens, neighborhood streets lined with trees, forests, or nature reserves) bluespaces (such as next to beaches, lakes, rivers, ponds, or waterfronts), and desert regions, among others.

Detailed Description

To participate in this online study, you will need an email address, and a smartphone or laptop/desktop with internet access. If you are eligible to participate, you will be sent a link to an online survey (Qualtrics). We will ask questions about demographic and health information, followed by questions about exercise habits, exposure to natural environments (including greenspaces and bluespaces, among others), and questionnaires assessing mood, motivation, cognition, sleep, stress, quality of life, and related functions. The survey should take roughly 20-25 minutes to complete. This is an observational study only, and not an interventional study.

Compensation: A $15 Amazon gift card will be offered to those who complete the survey all the way through with good effort.

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2024-06-26
• Study First Submitted QC: 2024-06-26
• Study First Posted: 2024-07-03
• Status Verified: 2024-08
• Study Start: 2024-08
• Last Update Submitted: 2024-08-05
• Last Update Posted: 2024-08-06
• Primary Completion: 2026-07-01
• Study Completion: 2026-07-01

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 100

Inclusion Criteria

For persons with Parkinson's disease:

• Participants must be at least 40 years old
• Have a diagnosis of idiopathic PD
• Be proficient English speakers
• Have functional vision
• Have internet access, and access to a smartphone/laptop/desktop

For persons without Parkinson's disease:

• Participants must be healthy middle-aged and older adults, with no diagnosis of neurological/neurodegenerative conditions
• Participants must be at least 40 years old
• Be proficient English speakers
• Have functional vision
• Have internet access, and access to a smartphone/laptop/desktop

Exclusion Criteria (both groups):

• Diagnosis of dementia
• Poor vision (non-functional range)
• Lack of access to internet or to a smartphone/ laptop/desktop computer.

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Exclusion Criteria

Not provided

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Study & Design

• Study Type: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Design: Not specified

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Nature Connection Index	Baseline	Assesses the extent to which people feel connected to nature.
NIH NeuroQoL measures	Baseline	Assesses health-related quality of life in adults with neurological disorders. Higher scores on the sub-scales indicate worse outcomes.
Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D)	Baseline	Assesses depressive symptoms in the general population. Maximum score:60. Higher scores indicate more severe depression.
Perceived Stress Scale	Baseline	Assesses how different situations affect feelings and perception of stress. Maximum score: 40. Higher scores indicate higher perceived stress.
Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire - 8 (PDQ-8)	Baseline	Assesses Parkinson's disease-specific health-related quality of life. Maximum Score: 32. Higher scores indicate worse quality of life.
Parkinson's Anxiety Scale (PAS)	Baseline	Assesses the severity of anxiety symptoms in persons with Parkinson's disease. Maximum score:48. Higher scores indicate more severe anxiety.
Perceived Restorativeness Scale	Baseline	Assesses the extent to which particular environments have restorative qualities. Higher scores indicate greater perceived restorativeness.
Parkinson's Disease Sleep Scale-2	Baseline	Assesses sleep and nocturnal disturbances in Parkinson's disease. Maximum score: 60. Higher scores indicate more frequent sleep disturbances.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Vision and Cognition Laboratory, Boston University; 🇺🇸 Boston, Massachusetts, United States