Impact Of Daily Walking On Motor Function And Anxiety Among People With Young-onset Parkinson’S Disease

PURPOSE: Parkinson’s Disease is a neurodegenerative disorder associated with motor and non-motor impairments. While Parkinson’s Disease occurs most frequently among adults over age 65, it can also be diagnosed in young adults and children. People who are diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease between the ages of 21 and 40 are considered to have Young Onset Parkinson’s Disease (YOPD). People with YOPD experience typical Parkinson’s symptoms but with slower progression and less frequent cognitive impairments. Many types of exercise therapies have helped reduce or slow the progression of impairments in persons with Parkinson’s, however, it is not well-understood how daily walking impacts motor function and anxiety among persons with YOPD. The purpose of this study is to examine how daily walking impacts future motor function and anxiety in persons with YOPD. METHODS: A secondary analysis was performed using longitudinal data from the Fox Insight Data Exploration Network (FoxDen). Forty-six participants of FoxDen with YOPD and baseline self-reported walking behaviors were categorized as regular daily walkers (walk 5+ days per week) or seldom walkers (<5 days per week). Their motor function was assessed at baseline and after 3 years with a 10-item brief motor screen with scores ranging from 0 to 10, higher scores representing greater motor impairment. Their anxious feelings were assessed at baseline and after 3 years by one item ranging from 0-4 with higher scores representing greater anxious feelings. Independent sample T-tests and multiple linear regression models were used to compare participants who walked at least 5 days per week with those who did not. RESULTS: Participants who walked at least five days per week had similar motor function scores at baseline with those who walked seldomly (0.79 vs 0.92, p = 0.77). However, after three-years, regular walkers had significantly better motor function than seldom walkers (0.33 vs 1.56, p = 0.04). No differences were observed in anxiety by walking status. Multiple linear regression revealed significantly improved motor function among regular walkers when controlling for age and sex (β = -1.29, p = 0.026). CONCLUSIONS: Participants with YOPD who walked at least 5 days per week demonstrated improved motor function after 3-years compared to peers who walked seldomly.