Recruiting

Observational Study

Sponsor:

Northeastern University

Code:

NCT06425731

Conditions

Parkinson Disease

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 70+

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Interventions

Fasting

No Intervention

Study Details

Brief summary:

The first purpose of the study is to develop and test new methods for quantifying dance among adults with a diagnosis of Parkinson's using various kinds of cameras, wearable activity monitors, and questionnaires. The second reason we are conducting the study is to better understand the relationship between the intensity of dance classes specifically designed for adults with Parkinson's and individual-level factors like the kinds of routine activities one does beyond dancing and one's health status.

Participants in the study may be asked to engage in any of the following activities:

  • complete a small number of assessments on their physical and cognitive functioning
  • complete their routine group-based dance classes, specifically designed for adults with a diagnosis of Parkinson's, while being recorded

Depending upon the group that a participant joins, one may also be asked to:

  • wear an activity monitor on their waist while engaged in their daily business as usual for nine (9) days
  • complete an iDXA scan
  • describe their perceptions on how the use of technology can integrated into their dancing

Conditions

Parkinson Disease

Study ID

NCT06425731

Start date

Jul 1, 2024

Status verified date

Apr, 2026

Completion date

Jul 31, 2026

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Jul 31, 2026

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 70+

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adults (18-85 years old)
  • Diagnosis of idiopathic PD (as confirmed by a neurologist), who are at a Hoehn and Yahr stage <=3 (i.e., physically independent, some postural instability, mild to moderate bilateral involvement or less severe symptoms; Bhidayasiri et al., 2012), and who are
  • enrolled in Dance for PD® classes at the time of recruitment as a participant

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Adults with a score of >3 on the Hoehn \& Yahr scale (i.e., those presenting with severely disabling disease, but still able to walk or stand unassisted or those who are confined to a bed or wheelchair unless aided; Bhidayasiri et al., 2012)
  • history of a prior neurological condition that is not PD, including epilepsy
  • pregnant or trying to become pregnant
  • those with contraindications to exercise as determined by the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire for Everyone (PARQ+)
  • currently smoke cigarettes or use tobacco products
  • have a pacemaker or other implanted medical device
  • have been hospitalized due to a psychological disorder within the last 5 years
  • have a respiratory disease (including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease- COPD, asthma, pulmonary high blood pressure)
  • have a metabolic condition (including type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, pre-diabetes, chronic kidney disease, or liver problems)
  • have a kidney condition, a heart condition, history of stroke or cancer
  • experienced a blackout, fainted, or lost consciousness as a result of a head injury or had diagnosed concussion within the last 12 months
  • take a medication that affects cardiovascular responses to exercise
  • prospective participants with a diagnosis of PD who score < 17 on the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICS-30)
  • currently residing outside of the United States

Study Design

Enrollment

60 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Non randomized

Intervention Model

Parallel Assignment

Primary purpose

Other

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Dance for PD (in-person)

Participants will engage in Dance for PD classes in-person in their usual fashion, and within a group-based setting, for a total of three sessions. Oxygen uptake, heart rate and perceived exertion will be measured throughout specific Dance for PD classes.

experimental: Dance for PD (virtual/remote)

Participants will engage in Dance for PD classes online in their usual fashion, and within a group-based setting, for a total of two sessions. Heart rate and perceived exertion will be measured throughout the Dance for PD classes.

Interventions

Fasting

Participants (Dance for PD, in-person only) will engage in one of their routine weekly dance sessions while a portable indirect calorimeter is used for energy expenditure analysis. Before this session, participants will be asked to fast for at least 4-hours. In this way, participants in this study arm will engage in a self-controlled study design wherein they complete a 4-hour fast before engaging in an oxygen uptake assessment during their routine dance classes. During the 4-hour fasting period, participants will be asked to refrain from eating any food and drinking any beverages except for water.

No Intervention

No Intervention

Primary outcome measure

  • Oxygen uptake [ Time Frame: The outcome measure will be assessed after the intervention (i.e., after fasting: no food for at least 4 hours prior to a single dance session) and during the intervention (i.e., participants will continue to fast during the 60-minute dance session). ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Aston K McCullough, PhD, MS, MA

6173738893a.mccullough@northeastern.edu

Locations

Northeastern University

Recruiting

Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02115

Contacts

Gregory Cloutier

617-373-8009g.cloutier@northeastern.edu

Principal Investigator:

Aston K McCullough, PhD, MS, MA

More Information

Sponsor

Northeastern University

Last update posted

Apr 13, 2026

Last verified

Apr, 2026

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-10. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by Northeastern University on 2026-04-13.