Enhancing Exercise Intensity, Motivation and Enjoyment for Persons with PD: Comparing Visual Feedback and Competition in A Virtual Cycling Environment (VCYCLE)

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Project Summary In this single group study of 33 persons with Parkinson's Disease (PD, Hoehn and Yahr Stages II-III) will exercise in two virtual reality augmented bicycling conditions: visual feedback and competition. The primary purpose of the study is to determine which condition of bicycling (visual feedback or competitive) promotes a higher exercise intensity in the neuromusculoskeletal domain (measured by revolutions per minutes on the bicycle) and in the cardiovascular domain (measure by % of max. heart rate) as well as which promotes higher motivation and enjoyment (measured with the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory) and reduced perception of effort (measured with the Borg Scale). The secondary aims are to explore how personal factors (competitiveness) influence the exercise intensity, and whether visual attention can differentiate between the cycling conditions. Data will be collected in a single session consisting of clinical assessments and bicycling for ten minutes for each condition while wearing a head mounted display to interact with the virtual environment. Results from this study will inform the design of optimal exercise programs to make exercise accessible, enjoyable for persons with PD. Those programs will be tested for efficacy at improving mobility and fitness leading to well-being for persons with PD. The proposed project will be undertaken in a well-equipped laboratory under the mentorship of a sponsor with a long track record of designing virtual reality tools for persons with neurologic health conditions. The sponsor has successfully mentored dozens of graduate students including dual-degree students, training to be clinician scientists. Collaborators and contributors from diverse training backgrounds and areas of expertise will work with the sponsor and PI on this project. The PI will couple his previous training in engineering with new skills developed in applied science. The PI's training plan includes goals related to research execution and dissemination, clinical experience, teaching/mentoring, and community/professional service all of which can be realistically achieved.