NCT06181500

Home-Based Exercise in Primary Progressive Aphasia (HEPPA)

Home-Based Exercise in Primary Progressive Aphasia: A Pilot Study

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 13 (actual)
• Sponsor: Montreal Heart Institute · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: —
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This pilot study aims to evaluate the feasibility of a novel home-based multicomponent exercise program in adults clinically diagnosed with Primary Progressive Aphasia

Detailed description

Exercise is known to induce changes in brain neuroplasticity in the elderly and is thought to have a protective effect against cognitive decline in patients already suffering from neurodegenerative diseases. While the benefits of exercise in the context of mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease have been extensively studied, little information is available on the potential benefits of exercise for other atypical neurodegenerative diseases, such as primary progressive aphasia (PPA). A multimodal exercise intervention (combination of aerobic and resistance exercises) could potentially slow overall cognitive decline in PPA, which is characterized by a gradual and isolated dissolution of language function, by promoting neurogenesis and neuroplasticity. In healthy but inactive older adults, exercise increases grey and white matter volume in prefrontal and temporal cortical regions, which are specifically impaired in PPA and play an important role in executive functions, episodic memory and language skills. Exercise could thus modulate certain executive, memory and language difficulties generally observed in this clinical population. This pilot study aims to evaluate the feasibility of a novel home-based multicomponent exercise program in adults clinically diagnosed with any of the three main variants of PPA (semantic, non-fluent/agrammatic or logopenic). The feasibility outcomes will be based on: 1) total recruitment and recruitment rate, 2) program completion rate, 3) compliance and 4) participants' ability to train at home with or without a caregivers' presence. A minimum of 12 participants will be recruited through McGill University's Douglas Research Institute and will complete a 6-month home-based multimodal intervention program. They will train two to three times a week for 45 minutes and be supervised via videoconference by a kinesiologist from the EPIC Center at the Montreal Heart Institute. If desired, participants will be accompanied by a partner, close friend, or relative to facilitate communication, especially if they have difficulty understanding instructions or expressing themselves. To assess changes in cognition, physical and psychological functions, participants will complete neuropsychological and functional assessments in-person at baseline. These assessments will also be completed at three and six months post-intervention. The knowledge gained from this pilot project will be used to assess the feasibility of a full randomized control trial aimed at assessing the effects of multimodal exercise intervention in PPA patients. Ultimately, an increased understanding of the potential beneficial effects of physical exercise in PPA will allow for more tailored rehabilitative approaches in this clinical population.

Conditions

• Primary Progressive Aphasia
• Neurodegenerative Diseases
• Logopenic Progressive Aphasia
• Semantic Dementia
• Non-fluent Aphasia

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Home-based multicomponent exercise intervention program	A novel home-based multicomponent exercise intervention program was designed using a multimodal training circuit. This 24-week circuit program was created to improve functional (resistance) and aerobic health. Participants will be asked to train two to three times a week for 45 minutes. They will be supervised via videoconference by a trained kinesiologist from the EPIC Center at the Montreal Heart Institute. If desired, participants can complete their exercises with a partner, friend, or relative to facilitate communication. Participants will be asked to document the perceived intensity of their exercises in a booklet after each workout. The perceived intensity of their exercises will be measured by a validated effort perception scale graduated from 0 to 10 (Borg scale; Williams, 2017). Progressions will increase every five weeks and will be subject to modification if not properly tolerated or if found to be below a 3 on the Borg rate of perceived exertion scale (moderate intensity).

Timeline

• Start date: 2023-04-05
• Primary completion: 2024-06-01
• Completion: 2024-08-31
• First posted: 2023-12-26
• Last updated: 2025-02-06

Locations

2 sites across 1 country: Canada