Abstract
The study hypothesis held that in subjects with Parkinson’s disease (PD), the reaction time (RT) tests of the higher cognition demand would have more readily improved under the program of analog microgravity (μG) modeled with “dry” immersion (DI). To test this hypothesis, 10 subjects with PD have passed through a program of seven DI sessions (each 45 min long) within 25–30 days, with overall μG dose 5 1/4 h. Five patients were enrolled as controls, without DI (noDI group). Simple RT (SRT), disjunctive RT (DRT), and choice RT (CRT) were assessed in four study points: before the DI program (preDI), 1 day after the DI program (postDI), 2 weeks after the DI program (DI2w), and 2 months after the DI program (DI2m). The motor time (MT) was assessed with the tapping test (TT). Additionally, signal detection time (SDT) and central processing time (CPT) were extracted from the data. Before the program of DI, the RT tests are in accordance with their cognition load: SRT (284 ± 37 ms), DRT (338 ± 38 ms), and CRT (540 ± 156 ms). In accordance with the hypothesis, CRT and DRT have improved under DI by, respectively, 20 and 8% at the study point “DI2w,” whereas SRT, SDT, and MT did not change (<5% in the preDI point, p > 0.05). Thus, the program of DI provoked RT improvement specifically in the cognitively loaded tasks, in a “dose of cognition-reaction” manner. The accuracy of reaction has changed in none of the RT tests. The neurophysiologic, hormonal/neuroendocrine, behavioral, neural plasticity, and acclimation mechanisms may have contributed to such a result.
Highlights
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is increasingly being studied due to its growing global prevalence (Wirdefeldt et al, 2011), high economical burden on society (Martinez-Martin et al, 2019), and negative impact on the quality of life (Marras et al, 2008)
We found that the improvement of reaction time (RT) was associated only with the reduction of the non-motor part of RT, as motor time (MT) did not change across the program of dry” immersion (DI)
Consistent with Masiero et al (2019), in our earlier study, we reported on better motor performance in PD patients under air exposure at 40◦C (Meigal and Lupandin, 2005)
Summary
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is increasingly being studied due to its growing global prevalence (Wirdefeldt et al, 2011), high economical burden on society (Martinez-Martin et al, 2019), and negative impact on the quality of life (Marras et al, 2008). Besides specific motor (rest tremor, muscle rigidity, bradykinesia, balance, and gait impairment) and non-motor (cognitive and emotional and symptoms) (Rodriguez-Oroz et al, 2009), PD is characterized by some not readily seen signs, such as impaired perception of time, increased reaction time (RT) to stimuli (Yabe et al, 2019), and general slowdown of cognition (Vlagsma et al, 2016) These subtle deficits can seriously deteriorate the daily life activities of PD patients, since RT and accuracy of reaction are of vital importance when, e.g., driving a car or crossing the street (Block and Gruber, 2014). SRT corresponds to early cortical components of the evoked brain potential (Yordanova et al, 2004) and perceptual and motor stages of signal processing (Cooper et al, 1994)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
