BMC Neurol: Improving the symptom burden of adults with symptoms after persistent concussion

Up to 30% of patients with mild brain trauma have persistent post-concussion symptoms (PPCS), often including exercise intoleranceAt present, the sub-symptom threshold aerobic exercise has been proposed as the treatment choice of symptom burden and exercise intolerance in this populationThe purpose of this study was to assess whether an aerobic exercise program with progressive, sub-symptom thresholds could reduce the symptom burden on PPCS adultsrandomly divided 56 adults (18-65 years) with PPCS (-3mos-5 years of age) into two groups: starting a 12-week aerobic exercise program (AEP) or delaying the start of a six-week placebo-like stretching program (SP) and then performing AEPExercise aerobic or stretching 5 times a week for 30 minutes each during the interventionSubmit an online daily activity logIn treadmill tests with heart rate monitoring, when symptoms increase, the AEP's exercise prescription changes to 70-80% of the heart rateUpdate your exercise prescription every 3 weeks and repeat the treadmill testThe main outcome indicator sat in the 6-week and 12-week post-Rivermead concussion symptom questionnairesSecondary results include the assessment of specific symptoms (headache, quality of life, mood, anxiety, fatigue, dizziness, sleep parameters, daytime sleeping data) and blood biomarkers and magnetic resonance imaging and spectral data for quantifying brain metabolites, including gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glutamate, and N-acetyl tenine (NAA), all measured at 6 and 12 weeks of interventionin summary, the trial will assess the use of aerobic exercise as an intervention for adult PPCS, thereby expanding our understanding of this treatment, with previous studies focusing on adolescent sports-related concussions