Clinical trial NCT06483126: The Benefits of Nature for Mood and Cognition in Persons With and Without Parkinson's Disease
Official title: The Benefits of Nature for Mood and Cognition in Persons With and Without Parkinson's Disease
Study type: OBSERVATIONAL
Overall status: RECRUITING
Conditions: Parkinson Disease
Mood
Cognition
Keywords: Nature
Natural Environments
Lead sponsor: Boston University Charles River Campus
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2024-07-03
Enrollment: 100
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 40
Maximum age (years): 100
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Observational model: CASE_ONLY
Time perspective: CROSS_SECTIONAL
Sampling method: NON_PROBABILITY_SAMPLE
Study population: Persons with and without Parkinson's disease volunteering for an online study

Brief summary: This online study aims to explore the benefits of nature for mood and cognition in persons with and without Parkinson's disease. For the purpose of this survey, "natural environment" refers to places that primarily consist of natural elements, such as vegetation, water bodies, and landscapes. This includes greenspaces (such as parks, gardens, neighborhood streets lined with trees, forests, or nature reserves) bluespaces (such as next to beaches, lakes, rivers, ponds, or waterfronts), and desert regions, among others.

Detailed description: To participate in this online study, you will need an email address, and a smartphone or laptop/desktop with internet access. If you are eligible to participate, you will be sent a link to an online survey (Qualtrics). We will ask questions about demographic and health information, followed by questions about exercise habits, exposure to natural environments (including greenspaces and bluespaces, among others), and questionnaires assessing mood, motivation, cognition, sleep, stress, quality of life, and related functions. The survey should take roughly 20-25 minutes to complete. This is an observational study only, and not an interventional study.

Compensation: A $15 Amazon gift card will be offered to those who complete the survey all the way through with good effort.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

For persons with Parkinson's disease:

* Participants must be at least 40 years old
* Have a diagnosis of idiopathic PD
* Be proficient English speakers
* Have functional vision
* Have internet access, and access to a smartphone/laptop/desktop

For persons without Parkinson's disease:

* Participants must be healthy middle-aged and older adults, with no diagnosis of neurological/neurodegenerative conditions
* Participants must be at least 40 years old
* Be proficient English speakers
* Have functional vision
* Have internet access, and access to a smartphone/laptop/desktop

Exclusion Criteria (both groups):

* Diagnosis of dementia
* Poor vision (non-functional range)
* Lack of access to internet or to a smartphone/ laptop/desktop computer.

Primary outcomes:
measure: Nature Connection Index
timeFrame: Baseline
measure: Perceived Restorativeness Scale
timeFrame: Baseline
measure: Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D)
timeFrame: Baseline
measure: Parkinson's Disease Sleep Scale-2
timeFrame: Baseline
measure: Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire - 8 (PDQ-8)
timeFrame: Baseline
measure: Perceived Stress Scale
timeFrame: Baseline
measure: NIH NeuroQoL measures
timeFrame: Baseline
measure: Parkinson's Anxiety Scale (PAS)
timeFrame: Baseline
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Boston
country: United States
facility: Vision and Cognition Laboratory, Boston University
state: Massachusetts
Study officials:
affiliation: Boston University
name: Alice Cronin-Golomb, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
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citation: Gascon M, Triguero-Mas M, Martinez D, Dadvand P, Forns J, Plasencia A, Nieuwenhuijsen MJ. Mental health benefits of long-term exposure to residential green and blue spaces: a systematic review. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2015 Apr 22;12(4):4354-79. doi: 10.3390/ijerph120404354.
citation: Hartig T, Mitchell R, de Vries S, Frumkin H. Nature and health. Annu Rev Public Health. 2014;35:207-28. doi: 10.1146/annurev-publhealth-032013-182443. Epub 2014 Jan 2.
citation: Rigolon A, Browning MHEM, McAnirlin O, Yoon HV. Green Space and Health Equity: A Systematic Review on the Potential of Green Space to Reduce Health Disparities. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Mar 4;18(5):2563. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18052563.
citation: Rodriguez-Loureiro L, Casas L, Bauwelinck M, Lefebvre W, Vanpoucke C, Vanroelen C, Gadeyne S. Social inequalities in the associations between urban green spaces, self-perceived health and mortality in Brussels: Results from a census-based cohort study. Health Place. 2021 Jul;70:102603. doi: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2021.102603. Epub 2021 Jun 21.
citation: Miller IN, Neargarder S, Risi MM, Cronin-Golomb A. Frontal and posterior subtypes of neuropsychological deficit in Parkinson's disease. Behav Neurosci. 2013 Apr;127(2):175-183. doi: 10.1037/a0031357. Epub 2013 Feb 11.
citation: Cerin E, Barnett A, Shaw JE, Martino E, Knibbs LD, Tham R, Wheeler AJ, Anstey KJ. From urban neighbourhood environments to cognitive health: a cross-sectional analysis of the role of physical activity and sedentary behaviours. BMC Public Health. 2021 Dec 23;21(1):2320. doi: 10.1186/s12889-021-12375-3.
citation: Cerin E, Barnett A, Shaw JE, Martino E, Knibbs LD, Tham R, Wheeler AJ, Anstey KJ. Urban Neighbourhood Environments, Cardiometabolic Health and Cognitive Function: A National Cross-Sectional Study of Middle-Aged and Older Adults in Australia. Toxics. 2022 Jan 7;10(1):23. doi: 10.3390/toxics10010023.