Effects of task-specific training on motor activity, cognitive function, and quality of life among individuals with Parkinson’s disease: a quasi-experimental pilot study

Introduction The second most prevalent neurological condition in adults over 50 years is Parkinson’s disease (PD). Individuals with PD(IwPD) experience motor and non-motor symptoms during disease progression. One of the most significant variables in non-motor symptoms is cognitive impairment, andthe disease may lead to dementia. Even though the cognitive impairment in IwPD is mild, there should be concern regarding its rehabilitation because there is no pharmacological management for cognitive impairment, and just a handful of studies on functional cognitive training for IwPD have been published. This raises the prospect of task-specific training among IwPD and functional rehabilitation of cognitive function. Methods Thisquasi-experimental study involved 30 participants, who were assessed and selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Pre-test and post-test values were obtained using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) Part III, and Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire (PDQ)-39. All subjects underwent task-specific training with cognitive training for 8 weeks. Results Statistical analysisshowed significant improvements in motor activity, cognitive function, and quality of life. The p-value of each outcome measure was < 0.0001 after analysingpre-test and post-test data. Conclusions According to the findings ofthis study, task-specific training combined with cognitive training significantly improved motor activity, cognitive function, and quality of life among IwPD.