Objective: To investigate the effects of 12 weeks of cardiovascular, resistance, multimodal training, or a waiting list condition on the concentrations of inflammatory blood markers in Parkinson’s Disease (PD).

Background: Inflammation contributes to the pathogenesis and progression of PD¹. Chronic exercise is a safe, relatively inexpensive intervention that produces long-lasting benefits in PD². Among its many positive effects, its potent anti-inflammatory properties³ suggest it may have disease-modifying potential⁴. However, research on the impact of exercise on systemic inflammation in PD has yielded mixed results, and it is unclear whether different exercise modalities elicit similar or distinct anti-inflammatory effects in PD⁵.

Method: Data from 35 people with PD (age= 65.91±9.73y; F= 14; PD duration= 7.12±5.93y) were analyzed⁵. The concentrations of interleukin (Il)1β, Il6, Il10, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)α, and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured before and after 12 weeks of cardiovascular, resistance, multimodal training, or a waiting list condition from sera collected in the morning after a 12h fasting period. Linear mixed models including time, group, their interaction and participants as random effect were used to investigate longitudinal changes in inflammatory blood markers.

Results: At baseline, there were no significant differences between groups in age, disease duration, levodopa equivalent daily doses, cardiorespiratory fitness level, or sex distribution. Regardless the intervention, exercise had no significant effects on inflammation. However, cardiovascular training consistently reduced Il6 (Time*Group, p= 0.01; 19.9 to 14.7 pg/ml, p= 0.164), Il10 (Time*Group, p= 0.03; 63.5 to 48.1 pg/ml, p= 0.401) and Ilβ (p> 0.05, 1.1 to 1.0 pg/ml) concentrations. In contrast, resistance training was the only intervention leading to increases in all analyzed markers.

Conclusion: Our preliminary findings suggest that exercise does not significantly improve the systemic inflammatory profiles of our PD cohort. However, as observed in other clinical populations⁶, the effects of exercise on systemic inflammation in PD may be modality-specific. The potential role of exercise intensity on inflammation and the impact of exercise-induced changes in systemic inflammation on the progression of motor and non-motor symptoms of PD remain unclear and warrant further investigation.

References: 1. Tansey MG, Wallings RL, Houser MC, Herrick MK, Keating CE, Joers V. Inflammation and immune dysfunction in Parkinson disease. Nature Reviews Immunology. Nov 2022;22(11):657-673.
2. Mak MK, Wong-Yu IS, Shen X, Chung CL. Long-term effects of exercise and physical therapy in people with Parkinson disease. Nature Reviews Neurology. Nov 2017;13(11):689-703.
3. Gleeson M, Bishop NC, Stensel DJ, Lindley MR, Mastana SS, Nimmo MA. The anti-inflammatory effects of exercise: mechanisms and implications for the prevention and treatment of disease. Nature Reviews Immunology. 2011/09/01 2011;11(9):607-615.
4. Petzinger GM, Fisher BE, McEwen S, Beeler JA, Walsh JP, Jakowec MW. Exercise-enhanced neuroplasticity targeting motor and cognitive circuitry in Parkinson’s disease. Lancet Neurol. Jul 2013;12(7):716-726.
5. Cristini J, Potvin-Desrochers A, Seo F, et al. The Effect of Different Types of Exercise on Sleep Quality and Architecture in Parkinson Disease: A Single-Blinded Randomized Clinical Trial Protocol. Physical Therapy. 2024;104(1):pzad073.
6. Chen C, Zhang D, Ye M, You Y, Song Y, Chen X. Effects of various exercise types on inflammatory response in individuals with overweight and obesity: a systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. International Journal of Obesity. 2025/02/01 2025;49(2):214-225.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/chronic-exercise-and-systemic-inflammation-in-parkinsons-disease-exploring-the-role-of-exercise-modality/