A new therapy for Parkinson's has been believed to be found. This therapy seems to relieve the symptoms of Parkinson's by rewiring the brain's circuits which are involved with movement.
Parkinson's disease is a horrible progressive disorder of the nervous system. In particular, it is the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord) that this disease targets. People with Parkinson's have tremors and muscle stiffness, caused by overstimulation of a part of the brain called the Sub-thalamic Nucleus.
In 2011, there was a publication of a trial undertaken by Feinstein Institute for Medical Research in New York. This trial found that a gene therapy which was designed to turn down the activity of the sub-thalamic Nucleus actually improved motor control with people who had Parkinson's. Although, this therapy only reduced the symptoms of Parkinson's for a year. The scientists are still confused as to why this happened. So in order to understand, scientists have used a PET scans to compare 15 people who received the treatment to 20 people who got a placebo instead.
After just one year of this trial, the one's in the trial who had the therapy were found to have new connections within their brains. This was compared to those in the trial who had the placebo. There was a theory said by David Eidelberg, the person who led the study, that by shutting down the diseased pathways between the sub-thalamic nucleus and the brain's other motor regions, new alternate pathways were encouraged to develop. These alternate pathways aren't available for those with a healthy brain.
A larger study for this will be undertaken that is due to start around the end of 2019.
This isn't the only new treatment/therapy for Parkinson's. Another is something called deep brain stimulation. This other treatment involved placing electrodes into sub-thalamic nucleus and therefore, suppressing it's activity by electric pulse. But, this did not lead to the same alternate pathway.
Parkinson's disease is a horrible progressive disorder of the nervous system. In particular, it is the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord) that this disease targets. People with Parkinson's have tremors and muscle stiffness, caused by overstimulation of a part of the brain called the Sub-thalamic Nucleus.
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| This an image of three PET Scans, of which only the top is normal This photo was taken from another study around Parkinson's. Credit: E. Hector Corsi |
After just one year of this trial, the one's in the trial who had the therapy were found to have new connections within their brains. This was compared to those in the trial who had the placebo. There was a theory said by David Eidelberg, the person who led the study, that by shutting down the diseased pathways between the sub-thalamic nucleus and the brain's other motor regions, new alternate pathways were encouraged to develop. These alternate pathways aren't available for those with a healthy brain.
A larger study for this will be undertaken that is due to start around the end of 2019.
This isn't the only new treatment/therapy for Parkinson's. Another is something called deep brain stimulation. This other treatment involved placing electrodes into sub-thalamic nucleus and therefore, suppressing it's activity by electric pulse. But, this did not lead to the same alternate pathway.
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