# Cerebral activation following dynamic cycling in individuals with and without Parkinson's disease: an fNIRS investigation

## TL;DR

This study used fNIRS to examine brain activity in people with and without Parkinson's disease after cycling on a SMART bike, but found no significant differences in prefrontal cortex activation.

## Contribution

This is the first study to compare fNIRS responses in Parkinson's patients and healthy controls after dynamic cycling on the SMART bike.

## Key findings

- No significant differences in oxyhemoglobin concentrations were observed in the prefrontal cortex after cycling.
- The study highlights the need for larger sample sizes to better understand the neurophysiological effects of cycling in Parkinson's disease.
- fNIRS was successfully used to measure cortical activation before and after cycling in both Parkinson's and healthy participants.

## Abstract

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.

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.

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.

More work is warranted in larger sample sizes in order to continue the effort toward optimal exercise prescription for individuals with PD.