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Individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD) often experience cognitive declines. Although pharmacologic therapies are helpful in treating motor deficits in PD, they do not appear to be effective for cognitive complications. Acute bouts of moderate aerobic exercise have been shown to improve cognitive function in healthy adults. However, individuals with PD often have difficulty with exercise. This study examined the effects of passive leg cycling on executive function in PD. Executive function was assessed with Trail-Making Test (TMT) A and B before and after passive leg cycling. Significant improvements on the TMT-B test occurred after passive leg cycling. Furthermore, the difference between times to complete the TMT-B and TMT-A significantly decreased from precycling to postcycling. Improved executive function after passive cycling may be a result of increases in cerebral blood flow. These findings suggest that passive exercise could be a concurrent therapy for cognitive decline in PD.

The purpose of this study was to determine the most efficacious time to administer caffeine (CAF) in chewing gum to enhance cycling performance. Eight male cyclists participated in 5 separate laboratory sessions. During the first visit, the subjects underwent a graded exercise test to determine maximal oxygen consumption (V[Combining Dot Above]O(2)max). During the next 4 visits, 3 pieces of chewing gum were administered at 3 time points (120-minute precycling, 60-minute precycling, and 5-minute precycling). In 3 of the 4 visits, at 1 of the time points mentioned previously, 300 mg of CAF was administered. During the fourth visit, placebo gum was administered at all 3 time points. The experimental trials were defined as follows: trial A (-120), trial B (-60), trial C (-5), and trial D (Placebo). After baseline measurements, time allotted for gum administration, and a standard warm-up, the participants cycled at 75% V[Combining Dot Above]O(2)max for 15 minutes then completed a 7-kJ·kg(-1) cycling time trial. Data were analyzed using a repeated measures analysis of variance. Cycling performance was improved in trial C (-5), but not in trial A (-120) or trial B (-60), relative to trial D (Placebo). CAF administered in chewing gum enhanced cycling performance when administered immediately prior, but not when administered 1 or 2 hours before cycling.

These findings suggest that lower extremity passive cycling can promote changes in upper extremity motor function in individuals with PD.

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