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Impact of short-term cycle ergometer training on quality of life, cognition and depressive symptomatology in multiple sclerosis patients: a pilot study

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Abstract

In this pilot study, we investigate whether a routine cycle ergometry training programme has therapeutic potential in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) by improving quality of life (QOL) and depressive symptomatology, while ameliorating cognitive disturbances. Healthy volunteers and MS patients cycled for 30 min at 65–75% age-predicted maximal heart rate on a recumbent ergometer, with this session repeated twice a week for 8 weeks. QOL, depressive symptomatology and cognitive function were assessed pre- and post-exercise using the MS Quality of Life-54 (MSQOL-54) questionnaire, 16-item Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (QIDS-SR16) questionnaire and the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB), respectively. We determined that QOL was lower in MS patients, compared to healthy subjects, with a reduction in physical and mental health summary scores observed. Exercise improved both physical and mental health scores in MS patients. In support of this, exercise was shown to reduce depressive symptomatology in MS patients. Exercise was also associated with an improvement in visual sustained attention, executive function/cognitive flexibility and hippocampal-dependent visuospatial memory in patients. Overall, this study identifies a short-term exercise programme that improves physical and mental health, while reducing depressive symptomatology and cognitive dysfunction in MS.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank all participating subjects in this study.

Funding

The authors acknowledge grant support from the Physiological Society (to EJD), the UCC School of Medicine Translational Research Access Programme (to EJD and OOT) and the UCC Strategic Research Fund (to EJD towards purchase of a recumbent ergometer and to GC towards purchase of CANTAB). AB was supported by the Department of Physiology, UCC. GC and APA are based in the APC Microbiome Institute, a research institute supported by Science Foundation Ireland (Grant Number 12/RC/2273).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Western Gateway Building, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland

    Alison Barry & Ken D. O’Halloran

  2. Department of Medicine, Cork University Hospital, Cork, Ireland

    Owen Cronin

  3. Department of Neurology, Cork University Hospital, Cork, Ireland

    Aisling M. Ryan & Brian Sweeney

  4. Mercy University Hospital, Cork, Ireland

    Orna O’Toole

  5. Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Science, APC Microbiome Institute, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland

    Andrew P. Allen & Gerard Clarke

  6. Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Dublin, University of Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland

    Eric J. Downer

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  1. Alison Barry
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  2. Owen Cronin
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  3. Aisling M. Ryan
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  4. Brian Sweeney
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  8. Ken D. O’Halloran
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  9. Eric J. Downer
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Correspondence to Eric J. Downer.

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Written informed consent was obtained from each participant and the study received ethical approval from the Clinical Research Ethics committee of the Cork Teaching Hospitals (ECM 3 (xxxxx) 14/04/15 and 4 (o) 01/07/14). The study conformed to the standards set by the Declaration of Helsinki, except for registration in a database.

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The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

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Barry, A., Cronin, O., Ryan, A.M. et al. Impact of short-term cycle ergometer training on quality of life, cognition and depressive symptomatology in multiple sclerosis patients: a pilot study. Neurol Sci 39, 461–469 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-017-3230-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-017-3230-0

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