Exercise in Multiple Sclerosis

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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Exercise therapy in MS patients has proven benefits on mobility, mood, motor function and quality of life. While the beneficial effects of exercise on cardiovascular and musculoskeletal function are well known, there has recently been increased focus on the positive effects of exercise on brain structure and function. The goal of this study is to determine whether exercise can promote beneficial changes in brain function in MS patients.

Detailed Description
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Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, disabling neurologic disease characterized by damage to myelin and axons in the central nervous system (CNS). Current therapy for MS primarily consists of immunomodulatory drugs aimed at preventing future CNS injury; no treatments are currently available to repair existing damage, and symptomatic treatments to improve neurological function are quite limited. Rehabilitation approaches, such as exercise, have long been a staple of MS therapy. Exercise therapy in MS patients has proven benefits on mobility, mood, motor function and quality of life. While the beneficial effects of exercise on cardiovascular and musculoskeletal function are well known, there has recently been increased focus on the positive effects of exercise on brain structure and function. The overall aim of this proposal is to determine whether exercise can promote beneficial changes in brain function in MS patients. The investigator's central hypothesis is that cardiovascular exercise alters both brain structure and brain function in MS patients, and that these changes can be identified and monitored via imaging techniques that evaluate regional brain volumes and functional connectivity. When brain activity measured at one area fluctuates in a coherent manner with that recorded in a different area, those brain regions are considered to be functionally connected. Using resting-state magnetoencephalography (MEG), the investigator's laboratory has demonstrated that these patterns of correlated brain activity are abnormal in MS patients.

Official Title
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Effects of Exercise on Brain Structure and Function in Multiple Sclerosis

Conditions
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Multiple Sclerosis

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Exercise Group
* Other: Control Group
* Other: wristband activity tracker


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Male or female patients with a confirmed diagnosis of MS by revised McDonald criteria Age ≥ 18 years Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) 0-6.0, inclusive. Able to understand the consent process, and the use of the wristband activity tracker. Sedentary by self-report (answers no to the question: Do you exercise regularly? Willing to make sincere effort to comply with the study objective of increasing their physical activity as much as possible (with goal of at least 100% increase) and to maintain that increased activity level for six months (if randomized to the exercise group). Exclusion Criteria: Current serious medical condition which would likely limit subject's ability to achieve sustained increase in physical activity, or put them at risk for doing so in the investigators' opinion (e.g. significant cardiovascular or respiratory disease, cancer, cancer, orthopedic disease, etc) Subjects that have a central nervous system disorder (in addition to MS) that is not considered secondary to MS Subjects that have implanted metal, pacemaker, etc. that may interfere with the MEG/MRI scan or who are otherwise unable to complete the MEG/MRI scan procedure without sedation (e.g. due to claustrophobia, obesity) weight > 300 pounds

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years
Maximum Age: 100 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Basic Science
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Exercise Group<br>Subjects will wear a wristband activity tracker to monitor their physical activity and will be asked to increase their activity level, with a goal of at least doubling their average daily activity (steps) | Behavioral: Exercise Group<br> <br> Other: wristband activity tracker<br> <br> |
| Active Comparator: Control Group<br>Subjects will wear a wristband activity tracker to monitor their physical activity and will not be encouraged to increase their activity level | Other: Control Group<br> <br> Other: wristband activity tracker<br> <br> |

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Change from baseline in brain structure as measured by magnetic resonance imaging scans at 7 months | Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans will be done at 1 month (baseline) and 7 months after subjects begin wearing a wristband activity tracker. | 7 months | 
| Change from baseline in brain structure as measured by magnetoencephalography (MEG) scans at 7 months | MEG scans will be done at 1 month (baseline) and 7 months after subjects begin wearing a wristband activity tracker | 7 months | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Exercise