AzTrials
AzTrials

Parkinson DiseaseSPARXNCT01506479

Study in Parkinson's Disease of Exercise

A study testing Moderate Exercise and Vigorous Exercise in people with Parkinson Disease, run by University of Colorado, Denver at 3 sites in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
Search all trials

Trial summary

The purpose of this study is to learn more about the effects of exercise on patients who have been recently diagnosed with Parkinson's disease (PD). The investigators are going to test two levels of exercise (moderate to vigorous) against no exercise. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 40 to 80 years
Conditions the study is for
Parkinson Disease
What is being tested?
Moderate Exercise and Vigorous Exercise
Could I receive a placebo?
Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
How many people
128 participants
Where
3 sitesUnited States
Study dates
May 2012to Nov 2016
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 40 to 80 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Clinical diagnosis of primary Parkinson's disease
  • In a Hoehn and Yahr stage less than stage III
  • Disease duration is less than 5 years
  • Not likely to require dopaminergic therapy within 6 months

Who cannot join

  • Use of any PD medication within 60 days prior to the beginning the study, including levodopa, direct dopamine agonists, amantadine, Rasagiline (Azilect), Selegiline (Eldepryl), Artane (trihexyphenidyl).
  • Duration of previous use of medications for PD that exceeds 90 days
  • Expected to require dopaminergic therapy in the next 6 months
  • Poorly controlled or unstable cardiovascular disease
  • Uncontrolled hypertension
  • Hypo- or hyperthyroidism, abnormal liver function, abnormal renal function
Show all 12Show fewer
  • Mild cognitive impairment (Montreal Cognitive Assessment score<26/30)
  • Depression that precludes ability to exercise (Beck depression score>13)
  • Disorders that interfere with ability to perform endurance exercises
  • Regular participation in vigorous endurance exercise
  • Evidence of serious arrhythmias or ischemic heart disease
  • Any clinically significant medical condition, psychiatric condition, drug or alcohol abuse, or laboratory abnormality that would, in the judgment of the investigators, interfere with the ability to participate in the study

Trial locations and contacts

3 sites in 1 country.

United States3 sites

  • University of Colorado Denver

    Aurora, Colorado, 80045

  • University of Illinois, Chicago

    Chicago, Illinois, 60612

  • University of Pittsburgh

    Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15213

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Exploratory Study of Different Doses of Endurance Exercise in People With Parkinson Disease

The purpose of this study is to learn more about the effects of exercise on patients who have been recently diagnosed with Parkinson's disease (PD). The investigators are going to test two levels of exercise (moderate to vigorous) against no exercise. The investigators think that exercise may reduce the symptoms the of PD, and the investigators hope to learn what level of exercise will offer the most benefit.

Read the detailed description

The overall objective of this study is to determine the futility or non-futility of conducting a randomized controlled trial to determine the effects of exercise on the progression of PD symptoms. The primary aim is to determine whether individuals with de novo Parkinson's disease (naïve to drug treatment) can achieve the randomly assigned levels of mean exercise intensity (60-65% HRmax or 80-85% HRmax) and adhere to the exercise protocol.

Being tested
Moderate Exercise, Vigorous Exercise, No Intervention
Keywords
Parkinson Disease, Basal Ganglia Disease, Central Nervous System Diseases, Nervous System Diseases, Movement Disorders, Neurodegenerative Diseases, Brain Diseases
Medical subject headings
Parkinson Disease, Basal Ganglia Diseases, Central Nervous System Diseases, Nervous System Diseases, Movement Disorders, Neurodegenerative Diseases, Brain Diseases

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Moderate ExerciseBehavioural

    Endurance exercise at 60 - 65% heart rate (HR) max,4x/wk for 6 months.

  • Vigorous ExerciseBehavioural

    Endurance exercise at 80-85% HR max, 4x/wk for 6 months.

  • No InterventionBehavioural

    No-exercise control (i.e., usual care);

Study groups in NCT01506479
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Control GroupSham comparatorWait listed to moderate or vigorous exercise after 6 months of no exercise.
Receives: Behavioral: No Intervention
Vigorous ExerciseExperimentalEndurance exercise at 80-85% HR max, 4x/wk for 6 months.
Receives: Behavioral: Vigorous Exercise
Moderate ExerciseExperimentalEndurance exercise at 60-65% HR max, 4x/wk for 6 months.
Receives: Behavioral: Moderate Exercise

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Percentage of Average Maximum Heart Rate During Exercise as a Measure of Adherence to Exercise

    To test whether individuals with de novo Parkinson's disease (naïve to drug treatment) can achieve the randomly assigned levels of mean exercise intensity (60-65% average HRmax or 80-85% average HRmax) and adhere to the exercise protocol.

    Measured: 9 to 26 weeks

Secondary outcomes (1)

  1. 6 Month Change in Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) Motor Score

    Participants were assessed at baseline and at 6 months on their UPDRS. If a participant initiated Parkinson disease medication prior to the 6 month assessment, the UPDRS score from the clinical visit assessment prior to this initiation was used as the score for the individual at 6 months. The change in the UPDRS motor score at 6 months was used as the measure for the futility component of the trial. The change at 6 months was measured as the 6 month value minus the baseline score. A positive change represents worsening of motor symptoms; 0 represents no change; negative values represent improvement. The minimum score on the UPDRS motor is 0 and the maximum is 108 at baseline and 6 months with higher scores representing worse motor symptoms.

    Measured: Baseline and 6 months

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted10 Jan 2012 (estimated)
  2. Study startMay 2012
  3. Primary completionNov 2016
  4. Study completionNov 2016

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Single blind
Who is masked
Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
128 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT01506479
Sponsor's protocol ID
11-1237
Other IDs
R01NS074343
Acronym
SPARX
Status last verified
Sep 2017
First submitted
16 Dec 2011
Last updated
13 Oct 2017
Data monitoring committee
Yes

Publications

  • Ernst M, Folkerts AK, Gollan R, Lieker E, Caro-Valenzuela J, Adams A, Cryns N, Monsef I, Dresen A, Roheger M, Eggers C, Skoetz N, Kalbe E. Physical exercise for people with Parkinson's disease: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2024 Apr 8;4(4):CD013856. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD013856.pub3.

    PubMed 38588457

  • Ernst M, Folkerts AK, Gollan R, Lieker E, Caro-Valenzuela J, Adams A, Cryns N, Monsef I, Dresen A, Roheger M, Eggers C, Skoetz N, Kalbe E. Physical exercise for people with Parkinson's disease: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2023 Jan 5;1(1):CD013856. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD013856.pub2.

    PubMed 36602886

  • Hall DA, Moore C, Comella C; SPARX Study Group. Recruitment of patients with de novo Parkinson disease: successful strategies in a randomized exercise clinical trial. Trials. 2018 Nov 14;19(1):630. doi: 10.1186/s13063-018-2958-z.

    PubMed 30428907

  • Schenkman M, Moore CG, Kohrt WM, Hall DA, Delitto A, Comella CL, Josbeno DA, Christiansen CL, Berman BD, Kluger BM, Melanson EL, Jain S, Robichaud JA, Poon C, Corcos DM. Effect of High-Intensity Treadmill Exercise on Motor Symptoms in Patients With De Novo Parkinson Disease: A Phase 2 Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Neurol. 2018 Feb 1;75(2):219-226. doi: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2017.3517.

    PubMed 29228079

  • Moore CG, Schenkman M, Kohrt WM, Delitto A, Hall DA, Corcos D. Study in Parkinson disease of exercise (SPARX): translating high-intensity exercise from animals to humans. Contemp Clin Trials. 2013 Sep;36(1):90-8. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2013.06.002. Epub 2013 Jun 14.

    PubMed 23770108

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Moderate Exercise and Vigorous Exercise in people with Parkinson Disease, run by University of Colorado, Denver at 3 sites in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 4 inclusion and 12 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 13 Oct 2017. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 3 sites in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 13 Oct 2017). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Percentage of Average Maximum Heart Rate During Exercise as a Measure of Adherence to Exercise (time frame: 9 to 26 weeks). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT01506479, which also lists 5 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 13 Oct 2017; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 6 Nov 2026.

AzTrials uses cookies for analytics and advertising. You can accept or reject them; the site works either way. Privacy Policy.

Free account

Log in to keep searching

You’ve used your 3 free searches. AzTrials is free: log in or create a free account to keep searching clinical trials and save the ones you want to follow.

Create a free accountLog in