The Benefits of Nature for Mood and Cognition in Persons With and Without Parkinson's Disease

NCT ID: NCT06483126

Last Updated: 2025-09-19

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Total Enrollment: 97 participants
• Study Classification: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2024-08-12
• Study Completion Date: 2025-07-31

Brief Summary

This online study aims to explore the benefits of nature for mood and cognition in persons with and without Parkinson's disease. For the purpose of this survey, "natural environment" refers to places that primarily consist of natural elements, such as vegetation, water bodies, and landscapes. This includes greenspaces (such as parks, gardens, neighborhood streets lined with trees, forests, or nature reserves) bluespaces (such as next to beaches, lakes, rivers, ponds, or waterfronts), and desert regions, among others.

Detailed Description

To participate in this online study, you will need an email address, and a smartphone or laptop/desktop with internet access. If you are eligible to participate, you will be sent a link to an online survey (Qualtrics). We will ask questions about demographic and health information, followed by questions about exercise habits, exposure to natural environments (including greenspaces and bluespaces, among others), and questionnaires assessing mood, motivation, cognition, sleep, stress, quality of life, and related functions. The survey should take roughly 20-25 minutes to complete. This is an observational study only, and not an interventional study.

Compensation: A $15 Amazon gift card will be offered to those who complete the survey all the way through with good effort.

Conditions

Parkinson Disease; Mood; Cognition

Study Design

• Observational Model Type: CASE_ONLY
• Study Time Perspective: CROSS_SECTIONAL

Study Groups

Persons with Parkinson's disease (PwPD)

Individuals with a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease

No interventions assigned to this group

Persons without Parkinson's disease

Healthy middle-aged and older adults

No interventions assigned to this group

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

For persons with Parkinson's disease:

• Participants must be at least 40 years old
• Have a diagnosis of idiopathic PD
• Be proficient English speakers
• Have functional vision
• Have internet access, and access to a smartphone/laptop/desktop

For persons without Parkinson's disease:

• Participants must be healthy middle-aged and older adults, with no diagnosis of neurological/neurodegenerative conditions
• Participants must be at least 40 years old
• Be proficient English speakers
• Have functional vision
• Have internet access, and access to a smartphone/laptop/desktop

Exclusion Criteria

• Diagnosis of dementia
• Poor vision (non-functional range)
• Lack of access to internet or to a smartphone/ laptop/desktop computer.

• Minimum Eligible Age: 40 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 100 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

Boston University Charles River Campus

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Alice Cronin-Golomb

Director, Vision and Cognition Laboratory

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Alice Cronin-Golomb, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Boston University

Locations

Vision and Cognition Laboratory, Boston University

Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Countries

United States

References

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Reference Type: BACKGROUND

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Reference Type: BACKGROUND

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Other Identifiers

7175E

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id