Intense exercise may slow the progression of Parkinson's disease, according to research done by neuroscientists from the A Gemelli IRCCS Polyclinic Foundation and the Faculty of Medicine at the Catholic University of Rome.

The discovery may pave the way for cutting-edge non-drug therapies. The study "Intensive exercise ameliorates motor and cognitive symptoms in experimental Parkinson's disease by restoring striatal synaptic plasticity" is published in the journal Science Advances.

The study was directed by the Catholic University, Rome Campus, and the A Gemelli IRCCS Polyclinic Foundation, in partnership with many research organisations, including the San Raffaele Telematic University Rome, CNR, TIGEM, the University of Milan, and the IRCCS San Raffaele, Rome.

It discovered a novel mechanism behind the beneficial benefits of exercise on brain plasticity. The corresponding author, Full Professor of Neurology at the Catholic University and director of the UOC Neurology at the University Polyclinic A.

Gemelli IRCCS Paolo Calabresi said, "We have discovered a never observed mechanism, through which exercise performed in the early stages of the disease induces beneficial effects on movement control that may last over time even after training is suspended”.

"In the future, it would be possible to identify new therapeutic targets and functional markers to be considered for developing non-drug treatments to be adopted in combination with current drug therapies, he added.