Christopher K. McLeod
Christopher K. McLeod OMS-II, NYIT-COM, USA
Title: Rock Steady Boxing and Procedural Memory: Can boxing improve learning in Parkinson’s Disease?
Biography
Biography: Christopher K. McLeod
Abstract
Introduction: Defect in procedural memory has
been observed in patients with Parkinson’s
Disease (PD), however there is little research
into how this can be treated clinically. This pilot
study aims to investigate if consistent
participation in Rock Steady Boxing, a noncontact
boxing program specifically tailored
towards PD, can have a positive influence on
procedural memory. Methods: A modified
Serial Reaction Time Task (SRTT) was used to
assess procedural memory in 22 patients
diagnosed with PD. This included seven blocks
of ten stimuli with 30 seconds break between
each block. After an initial block of random
stimuli, subjects were repeatedly exposed to a
set sequence over the course of four learning
blocks. The sixth block presented a random set
of stimuli, followed by the previously repeated
sequence in the final block. A control group
(n=11) of subjects not involved in Rock Steady
Boxing was compared to an experimental group
(n=11) including subjects who had been
regularly attending classes for the last 6 months.
Findings: A two-way ANOVA with repeated
measures revealed moderate effect of group over
the four learning blocks (p=.18) indicating that
subjects participating in Rock Steady Boxing
tended to demonstrate faster reaction. Another
two-way ANOVA with repeated measures
analyzed changes between the fifth and sixth
block. No statistical significance was observed;
but it should be noted that when exposed to the
random sequence control subjects showed on
average an 80.86ms decrease in median reaction
time, while subjects participating boxing showed
an increase in median reaction time of 37.5ms.
Conclusion: Despite the lack of statistically
significant data, this study indicates that exercise
programs such as Rock Steady Boxing may help
to improve procedural learning in patients with
PD. Due to the lack of literature currently
available, these results may prove clinically
relevant to health care providers treating PD.