Erik B. Beall1, Anneke M. Frankemolle2,
Jay L. Alberts3, Michael D. Phillips1, Mark J. Lowe1
1Imaging Institute,
Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, United States; 2Lerner Research
Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, United States; 3Center
for Neurological Restoration, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, United States
Parkinsons Disease (PD) is a progressive neurologic disorder primarily characterized by altered motor function. Assisted exercise has been shown to produce dramatic improvement in PD patients motor symptoms in the absence of medication, comparable to the effects of medication alone. Functional connectivity MRI has been used to show network effects of medication. Here we present connectivity results of the complementary effects of 1) assisted exercise and 2) medication, both referenced to the off-medication state of the same subjects. Our main findings include largely similar changes in connectivity with both meds and exercise.
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