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Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

NCT number NCT01365364
Other study ID # CEP0546/08
Secondary ID
Status Completed
Phase N/A
First received May 16, 2011
Last updated June 2, 2011
Start date March 2009
Est. completion date December 2010

Study information

Verified date May 2011
Source Federal University of São Paulo
Contact n/a
Is FDA regulated No
Health authority Brazil: National Committee of Ethics in Research
Study type Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

Restless legs syndrome and periodic limb movement (PLM)are sleep-related movement disorders and studies have shown changes in striatal dopaminergic activity in patients with these disorders. Physical exercise has been shown to improve the symptoms of restless legs syndrome and PLM, as has treatment with dopamine agonists. However, the mechanism by which physical exercise acts as a non-pharmacological treatment in improving symptoms of restless legs syndrome and PLM remains unknown. The investigators evaluated dopamine transporter density profiles in 16 sedentary patients (control and experimental - with PLM, groups) and the influence of acute physical exercise on its concentration after a maximal exercise test. Each patient underwent baseline polysomnography to evaluate sleep patterns and PLM index values. After obtaining the polysomnography baseline, the single photon emission computer tomography baseline was determined. Subsequently, the volunteers performed a maximal exercise test in the morning, followed by a single photon emission computer tomography two hours later and polysomnography that night, to assess the effect of acute physical exercise on dopamine transporter and sleep patterns. The results showed significant lower dopamine transporter baseline densities in the striatum region for the experimental group. The results also showed a significant reduction in the periodic leg movement rate in the experimental group and a significant increased percentage of stage-1 non-REM sleep in both groups after maximal exercise test. Significant differences between the groups were only observed for Stage 2 sleep and slow wave sleep. Our results show that patients with PLM had a lower dopamine transporter density in the left putamen region compared to the control group and an acute physical exercise (maximal exercise test) did not alter this profile, providing evidence that this improvement is the result of chronic physical exercise.


Description:

Experimental Design Each volunteer (in both control and experimental groups) underwent Polysomnography (PSG) adaptation. After one week, a baseline cerebral SPECT was performed (1-3pm) and a baseline PSG was performed that night to evaluate the sleep pattern and the PLM index. Subsequently (after one week), each subject underwent a maximal exercise test (MET) in the morning (11am to 1pm) after which SPECT examination was performed in the afternoon (1-3 pm). A PSG was then performed that night to evaluate the effect of acute exercise on DAT density and sleep pattern (Figure 1).


Recruitment information / eligibility

Status Completed
Enrollment 16
Est. completion date December 2010
Est. primary completion date October 2010
Accepts healthy volunteers Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Gender Male
Age group 45 Years to 65 Years
Eligibility Inclusion Criteria:

- With and without PLM,

- no other health problems,

- sedentary

Exclusion Criteria:

- Other clinical and neurological conditions,

- continuous pharmacological treatment

Study Design

Allocation: Randomized, Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment, Masking: Open Label, Primary Purpose: Health Services Research


Related Conditions & MeSH terms


Intervention

Behavioral:
Aerobic Physical Exercise
All individuals were submitted to physical exercise reaching maximum effort
Aerobic Physical Exercise
All individuals were submitted to physical exercise reaching maximum effort

Locations

Country Name City State
Brazil Centro de Estudos em Psicobiologia e Exercicio São Paulo

Sponsors (3)

Lead Sponsor Collaborator
Federal University of São Paulo Associação Fundo de Incentivo à Pesquisa, Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

Country where clinical trial is conducted

Brazil, 

References & Publications (3)

Earley CJ, Kuwabara H, Wong DF, Gamaldo C, Salas R, Brasic J, Ravert HT, Dannals RF, Allen RP. The dopamine transporter is decreased in the striatum of subjects with restless legs syndrome. Sleep. 2011 Mar 1;34(3):341-7. — View Citation

Mrowka M, Jöbges M, Berding G, Schimke N, Shing M, Odin P. Computerized movement analysis and beta-CIT-SPECT in patients with restless legs syndrome. J Neural Transm (Vienna). 2005 May;112(5):693-701. Epub 2004 Oct 27. — View Citation

Wetter TC, Eisensehr I, Trenkwalder C. Functional neuroimaging studies in restless legs syndrome. Sleep Med. 2004 Jul;5(4):401-6. Review. — View Citation

Outcome

Type Measure Description Time frame Safety issue
Primary Dopamine Transporter Density Measurement Dopamine Transporter Density Measurement assessed by SPECT using TRODAT-1 Baseline and after 5 hours of exercise effort measurements Yes
Secondary Exercise Effort Maximum Exercise Effort VO2 maximum measurement 1 week after baseline SPECT Yes