Group-based exercise for Parkinson's: a qualitative study of participants and partners' perceptions of an exercise class delivered through a community-university collaboration.

BACKGROUND: Community-based exercise programmes (CBEPs) offer a practical and viable approach to providing people with Parkinson's disease (PwP) the opportunity to exercise as an ancillary therapeutic benefit to pharmacological management. This study explores the perceptions of exercising participants (PwP) and non-participating partners involved in an exercise class delivered through a community-university partnership. METHODS: Two separate focus group discussions were conducted: one with class participants (PwP: n = 7, H&Y scale I to III), and the other with non-participating partners of PwP (n = 4). RESULTS: Thematic analysis of the data identified that a range of physical, psychological and social factors were perceived to influence engagement: (1) actively taking control, (2) exercise is medicine for the mind and body, and (3) a community working together to promote exercise for parkinson's. Participants and partners felt that the support from the group, including the instructors and student volunteers, empowered and supported PwP to proactively self-manage their health, enjoy exercise in an inclusive group setting, and develop strong social connections with others in the local Parkinson's community. Support to exercise from healthcare professionals was identified as both an enabler and barrier to participation. CONCLUSIONS: This study underscores the significance of a community-university partnership as a complementary therapeutic approach for PwP. It also provides critical reflections on its sustainability, including implications for how exercise is considered as medicine for PwP. Additionally, it offers practical recommendations to galvanise community participation and provide inclusive and viable exercise opportunities for PwP.

Increased Salivary BDNF and Improved Fundamental Motor Skills in Children Following a 3-Month Integrated Neuromuscular Training in Primary School.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a protein involved in synaptic transmission and neuronal plasticity, which underlie the processes of learning and memory formation. Acute exercise and exercise training increase BDNF concentration. We aimed to evaluate the effects of a 3-month integrated neuromuscular training (INT) on salivary BDNF concentration and the mastery of fundamental motor skills in school-aged children. An additional goal was to explore the associations between potential changes in BDNF and fundamental motor skills. Sixty-seven primary school-aged children were randomly allocated to control (N = 32; 7.52 ± 0.31 y) or INT groups (N = 35; 7.56 ± 0.29 y). A 3-month INT was applied during the warm-up of physical education (PE) classes, twice weekly. Salivary BDNF was measured using a sandwich-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and the mastery of fundamental motor skills was assessed using the CAMSA test, at baseline and after 3 months. The children in the INT group, as compared to the children in the control group, exhibited higher salivary BDNF (F = 8.865; p = 0.004), higher scores for sidestep (F = 13.240, p = 0.001), 1-foot hop (F = 11.684, p = 0.001), kick (F = 4.010, p = 0.050), the sum of locomotor skills (F = 18.799, p < 0.0001), and the sum of control and manipulative skills (F = 8.151, p = 0.006), as well as the total sum of fundamental motor skills (F = 11.266, p = 0.001) after the 3 months. Interestingly, the increase in salivary BDNF concentration after the 3-month INT was associated with an improvement in locomotor skills (beta = 0.385; p = 0.039; adjusted R2 = 0.088) and the total improvement in fundamental motor skills (beta = 0.428; p = 0.020; adjusted R2 = 0.124). A school-based 3-month INT increased salivary BDNF and improved the mastery of fundamental motor skills in children, highlighting the positive impact of this intervention for a pediatric population.

The therapeutic effects of multimodal exercise for people with Parkinson's: A longitudinal community-based study.

INTRODUCTION: Individuals with Parkinson's Disease (PD) can develop a range of motor and non-motor symptoms due to its progressive nature and lack of effective treatments. Exercise interventions, such as multimodal (MM) programmes, may improve and sustain physical or cognitive function in PD. However, studies usually evaluate physical performance, cognition, and neuroprotective biomarkers separately and over short observation periods. METHODS: Part one evaluates the effects of a weekly community-based MM exercise class (60 min) on physical function in people with PD (PwP). Exercise participants (MM-EX; age 65 ± 9 years; Hoehn and Yahr (H&Y) scale ≤ IV) completed a battery of functional assessments every 4 months for one (n = 27), two (n = 20) and three years (n = 15). In part two, cognition and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels were assessed over 6-to-8 months and compared to aged-matched non-active PwP (na-PD, n = 16; age 68 ± 7 years; H&Y scale ≤ III) and healthy older adults (HOA, n = 18; age 61 ± 6 years). RESULTS: MM-EX significantly improved walking capacity (5% improvement after 8 months), functional mobility (11% after 4 months), lower extremity strength (15% after 4 months) and bilateral grip strength (9% after 28 months), overall, maintaining physical function across 3 years. Group comparisons showed that only MM-EX significantly improved their mobility, lower extremity strength, cognition and BDNF levels. CONCLUSION: Weekly attendance to a community-based MM exercise group session can improve and maintain physical and cognitive function in PD, with the potential to promote neuroprotection.