Feinberg School of Medicine

SPARX3 Trial Investigates High-Intensity Exercise's Impact on Early-Stage Parkinson's Progression

- Northwestern University researchers are conducting a Phase 3 clinical trial (SPARX3) to evaluate how different intensities of aerobic exercise affect disease progression in newly diagnosed, unmedicated Parkinson's patients. - The trial builds on promising results from the original SPARX study, which demonstrated that high-intensity treadmill exercise helped stabilize symptoms in early Parkinson's patients while the control group showed decline. - The study aims to enroll 370 participants across 25 sites, requiring them to exercise 30 minutes daily, four times weekly for 18 months, with special efforts being made to ensure diverse participant representation.