KENT, Ohio A Kent State University professor received a grant to continue groundbreaking Parkinsons research and seeks participants for a clinical study.

Parkinsons disease affects about 1.5 million Americans and often leads to decreased independence and increased reliance on caregivers and the healthcare system for individuals living with it. However, research conducted by Kent State Universitys Angela Ridgel, Ph.D., shows reduced symptoms of the disease with the use of exercise using motorized bicycles.

Ridgel, Ph.D., an assistant professor in exercise science/physiology at Kent State, recently received a two-year, $390,900 grant from the National Institutes of Health to continue her work to design and test smart motorized bicycles, which could access individual effort, performance, skill level and therapeutic value in order to maximize the benefit.

Ridgel and her research collaborators, Kenneth Loparo at Case Western Reserve University and Fred Discenzo at Rockwell Automation, are seeking people, ages 50 to 79 years old, with a clinical diagnosis of idiopathic Parkinsons disease to partake in a clinical trial that will be held over a one-week period at Kent State. There is no cost for participants.

After we complete this study, we anticipate that participants will be able to move better for a period of time after the exercise, Ridgel said. Furthermore, the information gathered from this research will allow for future exercise recommendations for individuals with Parkinsons disease and other neurological disorders.

For more information or to see if you are a candidate to participate in the clinical study, contact Ridgel at (330)672-7495.

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My Town: KSU Professor Receives Grant for Parkinson’s Research