Impact of endurance exercise on levodopa associated cortisol release and force increase in patients with Parkinson's disease

Background: Levodopa (LD) application improves motor symptoms and reduces cortisol levels, whereas the impact of LD on force development and coordination is matter of debate in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), who report reduced exercise capacity. Endurance exercise enhances cortisol release in proportion to the intensity of the effort in particular in the morning and thus may counteract the LD associated cortisol decrease. Methods: We measured levels of cortisol and LD over an one hour lasting interval following administration of soluble 200mg LD/50mg benserazide with concomitant maximal grip strength as…