Parkinson DiseaseNCT02457832
Motor Training in PD
A study testing Adapted Tango Dancing in people with Parkinson Disease, run by VA Office of Research and Development at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The purpose of this research study is to learn more about brain activity when individuals with and without Parkinson disease (PD) move their lower limbs. The investigators also want to see if and how two different types of partnered dance affect brain activity in individuals with and without PD. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 40 to 70 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Parkinson Disease
- What is being tested?
- Adapted Tango Dancing
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 87 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 1 Jun 2015to 31 Dec 2023
- 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 70 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Age 40 - 70 years
- Willingness to spend 1-h in a scanner
- Able to walk with or without an assistive device 10 feet
- Best corrected/aided acuity better than 20/70 in the better eye
- Absence of dementia or vascular cognitive impairment
- Absence of primary memory deficits
Who cannot join
- Deep brain stimulator implants, Metallic implants, fragments, or pacemakers
- Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MocA) score < 24
- Pure-tone threshold sensitivity > 40 dB
- Peripheral neuropathy
- Untreated Major Depression
- History of stroke, or traumatic brain injury
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
Atlanta VA Medical and Rehab Center, Decatur, GA
Decatur, Georgia, 30033-4004
About this study
Official title: Optimizing Motor Training in Parkinson Disease Through Neural Mechanisms (NEURODEGEN)
The purpose of this research study is to learn more about brain activity when individuals with and without Parkinson disease (PD) move their lower limbs. The investigators also want to see if and how two different types of partnered dance affect brain activity in individuals with and without PD. Testing will take place at the Atlanta VA Medical Center and at Emory University. The investigators expect to enroll about 140 people for this study over a five-year period.
Read the detailed description
Persons with Parkinson's disease (PD) have impaired mobility, which adversely affects their quality of life. The effectiveness of adapted tango dance, in which participants both lead (internally guide: IG) and follow (externally guide: EG) movement has been shown. To improve outcomes in those with PD, the underlying brain mechanisms for both motor impairments and improvement must be studied. IG and EG movements have distinct brain activity patterns. Individuals with PD have trouble with IG movement but this problem is helped by strategies used while "leading." During "following", participants with PD can use many external cues, which helps movement in PD, because EG tasks bypass the basal ganglia, the part of the brain affected by PD. In older persons with PD, the investigators aim to:
- determine brain activation patterns during IG and EG foot movement.
- look into effects of IG and EG training on brain activation along with mobility improvements.
The investigators will begin with a functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging test in a scanner. The investigators will look at brain area correlates of a clinically-used foot-tapping task, during IG and EG conditions in older persons with and without PD. Then, the investigators will assess the relative effectiveness of IG versus EG training during an adapted tango class, compared to a group that participates in health education, for improved mobility and foot tapping. Participants with PD will be assessed for disease severity. They will receive tests of outcome measures while "OFF" and "ON" PD-specific medications at the following time points:
- 1 week before training
- 1 week after training
- 1 month after training Participants must attend 20 lessons of IG or EG adapted tango in 12 weeks, taught by an experienced instructor. In the functional MRI (fMRI) scanner, the investigators will assess participants for improved foot tapping after training. The investigators will also look at changes in activation in specific brain circuits along with training effects upon mobility.
The long-term goal is to improve motor training as much as possible for persons with PD by understanding foot movement brain circuitry in PD as well as brain changes in circuitry through which training is effective. This work proposes to illumine information about brain function that is very important to continued progress in rehabilitative care of persons with PD.
- Conditions
- Parkinson Disease
- Being tested
- Adapted Tango Dancing, Behavioral Control (BC) Condition
- Keywords
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Neurology, Neurosciences, Physical Medicine, Parkinson Disease, Rehabilitation
- Medical subject headings
- Parkinson Disease
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Adapted Tango DancingBehavioural
Composed of simple steps, tango involves frequent movement initiation and cessation, multi-directional perturbations and varied rhythms. Participants focus on trunk control and stepping strategies, coordination, somatosensory awareness, attention to partner, path of movement, and aesthetics. Sessions will begin with a typical dance class warm-up consisting of breathing, limbering and postural alignment to upbeat music. Novel step elements will be introduced every class period. Those with PD will partner with an individual without PD. After novel step introduction, the instructor will present rhythmic training, which is indispensable to partnered dancing. Participants will learn 'typical' rhythms from tango and Latin dances, based upon the system of quicks (Q) and slows (S), ubiquitously used in ballroom dance training to understand the temporal relationship of movement to music.
Behavioral Control (BC) ConditionBehavioural
Group health education sessions adapted to the needs of individuals with PD, about pharmacological management, nutrition, sleep disorders, cognitive deficits, bereavement coping, mobility, balance and home safety.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Internal guidance training (IG) | Experimental | Adapted tango dancing is a sophisticated, yet accessible system of tactile communication that conveys motor intentions and goals between a leader and follower. Those in IG training will choose direction, timing and amplitude of each successive step, and will communicate this information to their partner through moving their frame and center of mass. Receives: Behavioral: Adapted Tango Dancing |
| Externally guided training (EG) | Experimental | Those in EG will learn to attend to sensory cues for movement direction, timing and amplitude of steps, communicated from their partner to them via the frame and center of mass. The 'follower' will wait to receive the movement cue before moving. Receives: Behavioral: Adapted Tango Dancing |
| Behavioral Control (BC) | Active comparator | BC participants will attend group health education sessions adapted to the needs of individuals with PD, about pharmacological management, nutrition, sleep disorders, cognitive deficits, bereavement coping, mobility, balance and home safety. Participants in this training will be instructed not to change their habitual exercise routines. After completing health education, participants will be assigned to an IG or EG training class but will not undergo evaluations. Receives: Behavioral: Behavioral Control (BC) Condition |
| Normal Control (NC) | No intervention | Age-matched controls without Parkinson's disease will come in for a single assessment including MRI. |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Percent Signal Change
Percentage of baseline BOLD signal across activated brain regions. Activation values that remain significant after type-I error control in imaging software are averaged across brain regions, converted to Percent Signal Change, and presented as Mean (%) ± SD (%) across brain regions investigated.
Measured: 12 weeks
Connectivity Strength
Changes in average connectivity strength across striatal-thalamo-cortical (STC) and cerebello-thalamo-cortical (CTC) circuits, as measured by average cross correlation coefficient between the seed regions of the circuits.
Measured: 12 weeks
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted29 May 2015 (estimated)
- Study start1 Jun 2015
- Primary completion31 Dec 2022
- Study completion31 Dec 2023
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Posted resultsParticipant flow, outcome measures and adverse events reported by the sponsor.
- Publications (3)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Parkinson DiseaseStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by VA Office of Research and DevelopmentThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
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
- Supportive care
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 87 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- VA Office of Research and Development
- Sponsor type
- US federal agency
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Madeleine E. Hackney, PhD, Principal investigator, Atlanta VA Medical and Rehab Center, Decatur, GA
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT02457832
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- N0870-W
- Status last verified
- Oct 2025
- First submitted
- 21 May 2015
- Last updated
- 15 Oct 2025
- Results posted
- Yes, on ClinicalTrials.gov
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
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 38588457Ernst 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 36602886Prime M, McKay JL, Bay AA, Hart AR, Kim C, Abraham A, Hackney ME. Differentiating Parkinson Disease Subtypes Using Clinical Balance Measures. J Neurol Phys Ther. 2020 Jan;44(1):34-41. doi: 10.1097/NPT.0000000000000297.
PubMed 31834219
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 15 Oct 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Optimizing Motor Training in Parkinson Disease Through Neural Mechanisms (NEURODEGEN)
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT02457832
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- N0870-W
- Conditions
- Parkinson Disease
- Keywords
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Neurology, Neurosciences, Physical Medicine, Parkinson Disease, Rehabilitation
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 87 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- VA Office of Research and DevelopmentUS federal agency
- Study start
- 1 Jun 2015 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 31 Dec 2022 (actual)
- Study completion
- 31 Dec 2023 (actual)
- First posted
- 29 May 2015 (estimated)
- Results
- Posted 15 Aug 2024
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The purpose of this research study is to learn more about brain activity when individuals with and without Parkinson disease (PD) move their lower limbs. The investigators also want to see if and how two different types of partnered dance affect brain activity in individuals with and without PD. Testing will take place at the Atlanta VA Medical Center and at Emory University. The investigators expect to enroll about 140 people for this study over a five-year period.
Detailed description
Persons with Parkinson's disease (PD) have impaired mobility, which adversely affects their quality of life. The effectiveness of adapted tango dance, in which participants both lead (internally guide: IG) and follow (externally guide: EG) movement has been shown. To improve outcomes in those with PD, the underlying brain mechanisms for both motor impairments and improvement must be studied. IG and EG movements have distinct brain activity patterns. Individuals with PD have trouble with IG movement but this problem is helped by strategies used while "leading." During "following", participants with PD can use many external cues, which helps movement in PD, because EG tasks bypass the basal ganglia, the part of the brain affected by PD. In older persons with PD, the investigators aim to:
- determine brain activation patterns during IG and EG foot movement.
- look into effects of IG and EG training on brain activation along with mobility improvements.
The investigators will begin with a functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging test in a scanner. The investigators will look at brain area correlates of a clinically-used foot-tapping task, during IG and EG conditions in older persons with and without PD. Then, the investigators will assess the relative effectiveness of IG versus EG training during an adapted tango class, compared to a group that participates in health education, for improved mobility and foot tapping. Participants with PD will be assessed for disease severity. They will receive tests of outcome measures while "OFF" and "ON" PD-specific medications at the following time points:
- 1 week before training
- 1 week after training
- 1 month after training Participants must attend 20 lessons of IG or EG adapted tango in 12 weeks, taught by an experienced instructor. In the functional MRI (fMRI) scanner, the investigators will assess participants for improved foot tapping after training. The investigators will also look at changes in activation in specific brain circuits along with training effects upon mobility.
The long-term goal is to improve motor training as much as possible for persons with PD by understanding foot movement brain circuitry in PD as well as brain changes in circuitry through which training is effective. This work proposes to illumine information about brain function that is very important to continued progress in rehabilitative care of persons with PD.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Supportive care
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 4
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Internal guidance training (IG) | Experimental | Behavioral: Adapted Tango DancingAdapted tango dancing is a sophisticated, yet accessible system of tactile communication that conveys motor intentions and goals between a leader and follower. Those in IG training will choose direction, timing and amplitude of each successive step, and will communicate this information to their partner through moving their frame and center of mass. |
| Externally guided training (EG) | Experimental | Behavioral: Adapted Tango DancingThose in EG will learn to attend to sensory cues for movement direction, timing and amplitude of steps, communicated from their partner to them via the frame and center of mass. The 'follower' will wait to receive the movement cue before moving. |
| Behavioral Control (BC) | Active comparator | Behavioral: Behavioral Control (BC) ConditionBC participants will attend group health education sessions adapted to the needs of individuals with PD, about pharmacological management, nutrition, sleep disorders, cognitive deficits, bereavement coping, mobility, balance and home safety. Participants in this training will be instructed not to change their habitual exercise routines. After completing health education, participants will be assigned to an IG or EG training class but will not undergo evaluations. |
| Normal Control (NC) | No intervention | –Age-matched controls without Parkinson's disease will come in for a single assessment including MRI. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 40 to 70 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (6 listed)
- Age 40 - 70 years
- Willingness to spend 1-h in a scanner
- Able to walk with or without an assistive device 10 feet
- Best corrected/aided acuity better than 20/70 in the better eye
- Absence of dementia or vascular cognitive impairment
Key exclusion criteria (6 listed)
- Deep brain stimulator implants, Metallic implants, fragments, or pacemakers
- Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MocA) score < 24
- Pure-tone threshold sensitivity > 40 dB
- Peripheral neuropathy
- Untreated Major Depression
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Adapted Tango DancingComposed of simple steps, tango involves frequent movement initiation and cessation, multi-directional perturbations and varied rhythms. Participants focus on trunk control and stepping strategies, coordination, somatosensory awareness, attention to partner, path of movement, and aesthetics. Sessions will begin with a typical dance class warm-up consisting of breathing, limbering and postural alignment to upbeat music. Novel step elements will be introduced every class period. Those with PD will partner with an individual without PD. After novel step introduction, the instructor will present rhythmic training, which is indispensable to partnered dancing. Participants will learn 'typical' rhythms from tango and Latin dances, based upon the system of quicks (Q) and slows (S), ubiquitously used in ballroom dance training to understand the temporal relationship of movement to music. | Behavioural | Externally guided training (EG), Internal guidance training (IG) |
| Behavioral Control (BC) ConditionGroup health education sessions adapted to the needs of individuals with PD, about pharmacological management, nutrition, sleep disorders, cognitive deficits, bereavement coping, mobility, balance and home safety. | Behavioural | Behavioral Control (BC) |
Primary outcome
Percent Signal Change
Time frame: 12 weeks
Percentage of baseline BOLD signal across activated brain regions. Activation values that remain significant after type-I error control in imaging software are averaged across brain regions, converted to Percent Signal Change, and presented as Mean (%) ± SD (%) across brain regions investigated.
Connectivity Strength
Time frame: 12 weeks
Changes in average connectivity strength across striatal-thalamo-cortical (STC) and cerebello-thalamo-cortical (CTC) circuits, as measured by average cross correlation coefficient between the seed regions of the circuits.
Results and safety
Loading the posted results from ClinicalTrials.gov…
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 15 Oct 2025.
- Posted resultsParticipant flow, baseline, all outcome measures and adverse events.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 38588457Ernst 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.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 36602886Ernst 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.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 31834219Prime M, McKay JL, Bay AA, Hart AR, Kim C, Abraham A, Hackney ME. Differentiating Parkinson Disease Subtypes Using Clinical Balance Measures. J Neurol Phys Ther. 2020 Jan;44(1):34-41. doi: 10.1097/NPT.0000000000000297.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Madeleine E. Hackney, PhD principal investigator
Atlanta VA Medical and Rehab Center, Decatur, GA
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Adapted Tango Dancing in people with Parkinson Disease, run by VA Office of Research and Development at 1 site 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 6 inclusion and 6 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 15 Oct 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site 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. 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 15 Aug 2024). 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?
Percent Signal Change (time frame: 12 weeks). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. 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 NCT02457832, which also lists 3 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 15 Oct 2025; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 27 Oct 2026.