Objective: To investigate the impact of gastrointestinal dysfunction symptoms (GIDS) on psychomotor recovery following 8-week aerobic interval training (AIT) in Parkinson’s disease (PD).

Background: GIDS are commonly observed in early-stage PD and may precede motor symptoms by years. Given the strong connection between gut health and central nervous system function through the gut-brain axis, the GIDS may play a crucial role in the progression and manifestation of PD. Existing literature shows that AIT mitigates psychomotor symptoms of PD, though the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Exploring the effects of AIT in relation to GIDS may reveal pathways for psychomotor recovery in PD.

Method: Twenty-eight PD patients were assigned to two groups: (i) the training group (TR, n = 15), which participated in an 8-week moderate-intensity AIT program on a cycloergometer, and (ii) the non-training group (NTR, n = 13). The TR group was further divided based on the GIDS scale into subgroups with GIDS (TR^GIDS+, n = 10) and without GIDS (TR^GIDS-, n = 5). Neuropsychological assessments were conducted PRE- and POST-8-week AIT period, including the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), Purdue Pegboard Test (PPT), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and Stroop tests I and II (ST I and ST II).

Finally, the Psychomotor Recovery Coefficient (PRC) was calculated as the sum of normalized logarithmic relative changes in the measured parameters (PRC formula provided in Figure 1), with a higher score indicating greater recovery.

Results: The TR group showed beneficial AIT-induced effects, with general motor improvements reflected in a decreased sum of UPDRS Part III scores and enhanced manual dexterity reflected in increased PPT scores. TR^GIDS+ showed a greater AIT-induced effect in DUPDRS Part III, DPBT, DST I (Δ = post minus pre) and PRC compared to TR^GIDS- subgroup. Additionally, in the TR^GIDS+ subgroup, we found a positive correlation between the DGIDS score and DST I and PRC.

Conclusion: AIT-induced psychomotor improvement was more pronounced in PD patients from the TR^GIDS+ subgroup, suggesting a potential influence of GIDS on responsiveness to physical training. These results indicate causal link between gut health and neuroplasticity mechanisms underlying psychomotor improvement in trained PD patients.

Psychomotor Recovery Coefficient (PRC)

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/impact-of-gastrointestinal-dysfunction-symptoms-on-psychomotor-recovery-following-8-week-aerobic-interval-training-in-parkinsons-disease-preliminary-results/