Exercise Training in Dystonia

University of Florida

Status: Completed

Conditions: Dystonia

Treatments: Behavioral: Progressive Resistance Training

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03318120

40115065 (Other Identifier)

OCR28822 (Other Identifier)

IRB201702224

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this research study is to investigate how the brain and motor behavior changes in individuals with dystonia and other involuntary movement disorders and healthy individuals over time with exercise training.

Full description

The study team plan to conduct a randomized prospective, parallel-group, controlled study to examine the effects of exercises in dystonia and other involuntary movement disorders. Patients will be randomized to receive either progressive resistance training or a control treatment following the modified fitness protocol. The study team hypothesize that progressive resistance training will result in better outcomes compared to modified fitness protocol.

Data collect includes 1) data about clinical movement disorder history, age, gender, height, weight, and other medical conditions; 2) clinical neurological examination; 3) tests assessing cognitive abilities (the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, Stroop, Digit Span, Hopkins Verbal Learning Test, COWA and Animals, and Brief Test of Attention); 4) tests assessing motor abilities including Toronto Western Spasmodic Rating Scale (TWSTRS) and Burke-Fahn-Marsden Dystonia Rating Scale (BFMDRS); 5) measures of anxiety and depression (Beck Depression Index, Hamilton Anxiety and Depression Rating Scales); 5) Cervical dystonia related quality of life (CDQ-24); 6) Visual Analog Scales-Quality of Life (VAS QOL) evaluating of health related quality of life.

Enrollment: 11 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 30 to 80 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Patients with dystonia and other involuntary movement disorders will be recruited whose diagnosis will be confirmed by a Movement Disorders specialist following the criteria recommended by movement disorders society.

• Patients will be eligible if they are ages 30 to 80 years,
• Receive stable doses of regular botulinum toxin injections and are on stable doses of oral pharmacological therapy if applicable, and are able to walk for 6 minutes.
• Age-matched healthy individuals will be recruited for normative data.
• All individuals must be capable of providing informed consent and complying with the study related procedures.

Exclusion criteria

Patients will be ineligible if they have a neurological history other than dystonia, have significant arthritis

• Fail the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire, have cognitive impairment as indicated by a Mini Mental State Examination score <23,
• Already exercising.
• As necessitated by the risks of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) or transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), patients who have any type of implanted electrical device (such as a cardiac pacemaker or a neurostimulator), or a certain type of metallic clip in their body (i.e., an aneurysm clip in the brain)
• Active seizure disorder are not eligible for participation in the MRI or TMS portion of the study.
• Individuals who are claustrophobic will also be excluded from participation.
• Women who are or might be pregnant and nursing mothers are not eligible. Pregnancy tests will be carried out for each female subject of child bearing potential prior to the participation in the study and prior to each follow up visit.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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11 participants in 2 patient groups

Progressive Resistance Training

Experimental group

Description:

Participants assigned to this arm will receive progressive resistance training under the supervision of a personal trainer at a gym facility close to their home. They will be required to perform these exercises twice a week for the first six months. They will be monitored with an activity monitor.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Progressive Resistance Training

Control Arm

No Intervention group

Description:

The control arm offered to subjects with dystonia and other involuntary muscle disorders, participants will be followed at baseline and 6 months similar to what will be done in active exercise arm but this arm will not receive exercise. They will be monitored with an activity monitor.