Step toward prevention: app-based exercise may protect the brain in Parkinson's risk group
NCT ID NCT07324330
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether increasing physical activity through a motivational smartphone app can slow cognitive decline in people with isolated REM sleep behavior disorder (iRBD), an early sign of Parkinson's disease and related disorders. Researchers will enroll 130 participants (80 with iRBD and 50 healthy controls) and track changes in thinking skills, brain imaging, and blood markers over one year. The app encourages users to gradually increase their daily steps and activity intensity.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- motivational smartphone application (Alpha-Fit app) to increase physical activity
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a simple, non-drug way to preserve thinking skills in people at high risk for Parkinson's or related diseases.
- What could go wrong
- This is a relatively small, early-stage study (130 participants) testing a behavioral intervention, so results may not be conclusive or widely applicable. The app-based approach also depends on participants' long-term motivation.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 130 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Dec 2025
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2029
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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50 to 80 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: iRBD: * Age: 50-80 years * Polysomnographically confirmed diagnosis of iRBD * Maximum of 120 minutes of sports/outdoor activities per day * Less than an average of 10,000 steps per day during the 4-week eligibility and baseline phase * Basic smartphone skills * Sufficient knowledge of German (native language, C1 or C2) * Ownership of a suitable smartphone (minimum screen size 4.6 inches, Android version 9 or iOS version 15 or newer) * Consent to be informed of any additional findings Healthy controls: * Age: 50-80 years * Maximum of 120 minutes of sports/outdoor activities per day * Less than an average of 10,000 steps per day during the 4-week eligibility and baseline phase * Basic smartphone skills * Sufficient knowledge of German (native language, C1 or C2) * Ownership of a suitable smartphone (minimum screen size 4.6 inches, Android version 9 or iOS version 15 or newer) * Consent to be informed of any additional findings Exclusion Criteria: iRBD: * Relevant cardiovascular diseases * Problems with dexterity or cognitive impairments that make it difficult to use a smartphone * Cognitive impairments that limit the ability to make informed decisions and consent to participate in the study * Ownership of one of the following devices: Huawei P8 Lite, Huawei P9 Lite, Xiaomi Mi 6, Huawei P20 Lite (FitBit is not compatible) Healthy controls: * Relevant cardiovascular diseases * Problems with dexterity or cognitive impairments that make it difficult to use a smartphone * Cognitive impairments that limit the ability to make informed decisions and consent to participate in the study * Ownership of one of the following devices: Huawei P8 Lite, Huawei P9 Lite, Xiaomi Mi 6, Huawei P20 Lite (FitBit is not compatible) * clinically diagnosed iRBD
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University Hospital of Bonn
RECRUITINGBonn, North Rhine West-Falia, 53111, Germany
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