Enhancing both motor and cognitive functioning in Parkinson’s disease: Aerobic exercise as a rehabilitative intervention

• Three months of aerobic exercise training (AET) improves fitness in PD patients.
• Effects of AET on cognitive and motor skills in PD were evaluated concurrently.
• Some executive functions and procedural learning capacity improved after AET.
• AET can be used as a non-pharmacological intervention to improve functioning in PD.

Background: Aerobic exercise training (AET) has been shown to provide health benefits in individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, it is yet unknown to what extent AET also improves cognitive and procedural learning capacities, which ensure an optimal daily functioning. Objective: In the current study, we assessed the effects of a 3-month AET program on executive functions (EF), implicit motor sequence learning (MSL) capacity, as well as on different health-related outcome indicators. Methods: Twenty healthy controls (HC) and 19 early PD individuals participated in a supervised, high-intensity, stationary recumbent bike-training program (3 times/week for 12 weeks). Exercise prescription started at 20 min (+5 min/week up to 40 min) based on participant’s maximal aerobic power. Before and after AET, EF tests assessed participants’ inhibition and flexibility functions, whereas implicit MSL capacity was evaluated using a version of the Serial Reaction Time Task. Results: The AET program was effective as indicated by significant improvement in aerobic capacity in all participants. Most importantly, AET improved inhibition but not flexibility, and motor learning skill, in both groups. Conclusion: Our results suggest that AET can be a valuable non-pharmacological intervention to promote physical fitness in early PD, but also better cognitive and procedural functioning.