Introduction High-cadence dynamic cycling has been associated with significant benefits on motor function in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). Despite clear improvements in motor symptoms in this population, the neurophysiological mechanisms are unknown. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a neuroimaging tool that measures cortical activation by estimating hemoglobin content at the surface level of the brain. Methods 18 participants ( N = 11 with PD) completed the present study in which changes in prefrontal cortical activity were investigated following high- and low-cadence dynamic cycling on the SMART bike, a motorized therapeutic stationary bicycle. fNIRS measures were acquired during finger tapping and cognitive assessment before and after dynamic cycling. Three-way mixed factorial ANOVA with repeated measures on time were conducted to determine differences in oxyhemoglobin concentrations within the prefrontal cortex (PFC) following dynamic cycling. Results No significant differences were found in oxyhemoglobin responses. However, this is the first study in which researchers compared changes in fNIRS responses in people with PD (PwPD) and healthy age-matched controls following dynamic cycling on the SMART bike. Discussion More work is warranted in larger sample sizes in order to continue the effort toward optimal exercise prescription for individuals with PD.
Smith et al. (Tue,) studied this question.