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Exercise-based Therapy for Multiple Sclerosis Patients

NCT03735524 · Status: UNKNOWN · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 35

Last updated 2018-11-08

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Exercise is reported to have significant beneficial effects in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients, particularly with respect to cardiovascular function, aerobic capacity, muscular strength and ambulatory performance. Inflammation-mediated synaptic alterations have been measured by means of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and found to correlate with disability level in MS. Due to their plastic nature, synapses represent a good therapeutic target that is sensitive to environmental stimulation, such as physical exercise.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of exercise in reducing peripheral inflammation that drives the synaptic pathology and neurodegeneration occurring in the brain of MS patients. Recruited patients will be given a therapeutic exercise program, consisting of 3 hours of treatment per day, 6 days/week for 4 weeks. The program will be applied on hospitalised patients to ensure adherence to the program and reducing the risk of abandonment. The rehabilitation program will be planned by a physician specialised in physical and rehabilitation medicine and will consist of both passive and active therapeutic exercises specifically aimed at restoring or maintaining muscular flexibility, range of motion, balance, coordination of movements, postural passages and transfers, and ambulation. The day of recruitment (t0) patients will undergo radiological and neurological examination. The effect of exercise will be evaluated with respect to neurologic function, mood and neurophysiological parameters, autonomic system function, and peripheral marker levels assessed at t0 and after 4 weeks (t1). A second time point will be included (t2, 8 weeks after the end of the treatment) to address long-term effects, with analysis limited to neurologic and mood measurements and peripheral marker levels.

Conditions

Interventions

OTHER

Exercise

Different exercises will be adopted including: repetition of different movements for ambulation and stair climbing, repetition of crossed patterns of movements for coordination, postural reactions while standing with eyes open and closed and oscillatory boards for balance, strengthening lower limb muscles, and low-intensity and long-duration static stretching of iliopsoas, rectus femoris, hamstrings, triceps surae, and lumbar spinal muscles for muscular flexibility and range of motion. In addition, advanced robotic therapy will be used to standardize rehabilitative treatment and to obtain more objective indexes of motor function. The Lokomat exoskeleton and the Biodex stability system will be used.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Neuromed IRCCS

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Diego Centonze, MD · IRCCS Neuromed

Study Design

Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Model
SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Max Age
65 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2019-05-31
Primary Completion
2020-11-30
Completion
2021-05-31

Countries

  • Italy

Study Locations

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Entities

Diseases

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT03735524 on ClinicalTrials.gov