Potential of Whole-Body Vibration in Parkinson's Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Human and Animal Studies


Author: Y Laurisa Arenales Arauz1, Gargi Ahuja2,3, Ype P T Kamsma1, Arjan Kortholt3,4, Eddy A van der Zee2, Marieke J G van Heuvelen1

Affiliation: <sup>1</sup> Department of Human Movement Sciences, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, 9713 AV Groningen, The Netherlands.

<sup>2</sup> Molecular Neurobiology, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands.

<sup>3</sup> Department of Cell Biochemistry, University of Groningen, 9700 CC Groningen, The Netherlands.

<sup>4</sup> YETEM-Innovative Technologies Application and Research Centre, Suleyman Demirel University, Isparta 32260, Turkey.
Conference/Journal: Biology (Basel)
Date published: 2022 Aug 19
Other:
 Volume ID: 11   ,  Issue ID: 8   ,  Pages: 1238   ,  Special Notes: doi: 10.3390/biology11081238.   ,  Word Count: 240  
    (1) Background: When the severity of Parkinson's Disease (PD) increases, patients often have difficulties in performing exercises. Whole-Body Vibration (WBV) may be a suitable alternative. This systematic review aims to clarify if WBV shows potential as rehabilitative therapy for PD patients. (2) Methods: We searched several databases for controlled trials investigating the effects of WBV (1) on PD populations and (2) PD neuropathological mechanisms. We included both human and animal studies and performed meta-analyses. (3) Results: The studies on PD populations (14 studies) show an overall significant, but small, effect in favor of WBV (Hedges' g = 0.28), for which the effects on stability (Hedges' g = 0.39) and balance (Hedges' g = 0.30) are the most prominent. The studies on the neuropathological mechanisms (18 studies) show WBV effects on neuroinflammation (Hedges' g = -1.12) and several specific WBV effects on neurotransmitter systems, growth factors, neurogenesis, synaptic plasticity and oxidative stress. (4) Conclusions: The effects of WBV on human PD patients remains inconclusive. Nevertheless, WBV protocols with sufficient duration (≥3 weeks), session frequency (≥3 sessions/week) and vibration frequency (≥20 Hz) show potential as a treatment method, especially for motor function. The potential of WBV for PD patients is confirmed by the effects on the neuropathological mechanisms in mostly non-PD populations. We recommend high-quality future studies on both PD patients and PD mouse models to optimize WBV protocols and to examine the neuropathological mechanisms in PD populations.



Keywords: animal experimentation; exercise therapy; gait; human experimentation; motor skills; neurogenesis; neuroinflammation; neuropathology; neurotransmitters; postural balance.



PMID: 36009865 PMCID: PMC9405106 DOI: 10.3390/biology11081238