Parkinson’s disease (PD) is characterized by a progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons. Exercise has been reported to slow the clinical progression of PD. We evaluated the dopaminergic system of patients with mild and early PD before and after a six-month program of intense exercise. Using ¹⁸F-FE-PE2I PET imaging, we measured dopamine transporter (DAT) availability in the striatum and substantia nigra. Using NM-MRI, we evaluated the neuromelanin content in the substantia nigra. Exercise reversed the expected decrease in DAT availability into a significant increase in both the substantia nigra and putamen. Exercise also reversed the expected decrease in neuromelanin concentration in the substantia nigra into a significant increase. These findings suggest improved functionality in the remaining dopaminergic neurons after exercise. Further research is needed to validate our findings and to pinpoint the source of any true neuromodulatory and neuroprotective effects of exercise in PD in large clinical trials.

帕金森病 (PD) 的特征是多巴胺能神经元逐渐丧失。据报道，运动可以减缓帕金森病的临床进展。我们评估了轻度和早期帕金森病患者在为期六个月的剧烈运动之前和之后的多巴胺能系统。使用¹⁸ F-FE-PE2I PET 成像，我们测量了纹状体和黑质中多巴胺转运蛋白 (DAT) 的可用性。使用 NM-MRI，我们评估了黑质中的神经黑色素含量。运动将 DAT 可用性的预期下降逆转为黑质和壳核的显着增加。运动还将黑质中神经黑色素浓度的预期下降逆转为显着增加。这些发现表明运动后剩余多巴胺能神经元的功能得到改善。需要进一步的研究来验证我们的研究结果，并在大型临床试验中查明运动对帕金森病真正的神经调节和神经保护作用的来源。