Volume 31, Issue 10 p. 1444-1454
Review

The best medicine? The influence of physical activity and inactivity on Parkinson's disease

Sara C. LaHue MD

Sara C. LaHue MD

Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Medical Center, San Francisco, California, USA

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Cynthia L. Comella MD

Cynthia L. Comella MD

Rush Medical Center, Neurological Sciences, Chicago, Illinois, USA

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Caroline M. Tanner MD, PhD

Corresponding Author

Caroline M. Tanner MD, PhD

San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA

Correspondence to: Caroline M. Tanner, MD, PhD, Movement Disorders and Neuromodulation Center, Department of Neurology, University of California – San Francisco, 1635 Divisadero Street, Suite 515, San Francisco, CA 94115, E-mail: [email protected]Search for more papers by this author
First published: 06 October 2016
Citations: 83

Relevant conflicts of interest/financial disclosures: Dr. LaHue has no disclosures. Dr. Comella serves on the editorial board of Clinical Neuropharmacology, Sleep Medicine, and Continuum. She receives research support from the NIH R01NS074343, U54NS065701, Dystonia Medical Research Foundation, Allergan Inc., Ipsen Biopharmaceuticals, Inc, and Merz Pharmaceutical. She receives compensation/honoraria for services as a consultant or an advisory committee member from Allergan, Inc, Impax Pharmaceuticals, Ipsen Biopharmaceuticals, Inc, Medtronic Inc., Merz Pharmaceuticals, US World Meds, Acadia Pharmaceuticals, and Teva Neurosciences. She receives royalties from Cambridge, Humana Press, and Wolters Kluwer. She receives research support from the Parkinson's Disease Foundation. Dr. Tanner, serves on the editorial boards of the Annals of Neurology, Journal of Parkinson's Disease, Parkinsonism and Related Disorders, and NPJ Parkinson's Disease. She serves on the Scientific Advisory Boards of the Michael J. Fox Foundation and the National Spasmodic Dysphonia Association as a voluntary consultant and has provided paid consulting services to Ultragenyx Pharmaceuticals, Neurocrine Biosciences, Cynapsus, and Adamas. She has received compensation for serving on Data Monitoring Committees from Biotie Therapeutics, Voyager Therapeutics, and Intec Pharma. She receives grant support from the Michael J. Fox Foundation, the Parkinson's Disease Foundation, the Department of Defense, and the National Institutes of Health.

ABSTRACT

The incidence of Parkinson's disease (PD) is expected to increase as our population ages and will likely strain the projected capacity of our health care system. Despite being the most common movement disorder, there have been few noninvasive therapeutic advances for people with PD since the first levodopa clinical trial in 1961. The study of PD pathogenesis, combined with an appreciation for the biochemical mechanisms by which physical activity and exercise may impact physiology, has resulted in emerging hypotheses for new modifiable risk factors for PD. Physical activity and exercise as a means of preventing PD, or maintaining the functionality of people with PD, are a promising area of investigation. Conversely, physical inactivity is implicated in many disease states, some of which are also correlated with the development of PD, such as metabolic syndrome. The primary relationship between these diseases is likely rooted in heightened inflammation and oxidative stress at the cellular level. Physical activity and exercise as a means of attenuating inflammation have led to increased interest in related potential therapeutic targets for PD. Ultimately, these findings may translate into low-cost, universally available therapies for PD disease modification or prevention. © 2016 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society