thanks Maryse, this sounds less intrusive than DBS.  I always wondered why
electricity could help my tremors (which are returning I'm sorry to report)
when I lack dopamine. Ray
----- Original Message -----
From: "M.Schild" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, March 25, 2006 11:18 PM
Subject: Parkinson's Disease May Be Treated By Electric Current


> Parkinson's Disease May Be Treated By Electric Current
> This Article
> Also Appears In
> Neurology/Neuroscience
>
> Article Date: 25 Mar 2006 - 0:00am (UK)
>
> A simple and efficient method that facilitates Parkinson's disease
> treatment
> has been developed by researchers of the Institute of Human Brain, Russian
> Academy of Sciences. Influence of feeble electric current on the brain via
> electrodes laid on the head skin - the so-called transcranial electric
> polarization (TCEP) - reduces muscle tone and partially restores patients'
> movements. In combination with antiparkinsonian drug intake, TCEP reduces
> their side effect.
>
> Parkinson's disease is a chronic progressive degenerative disease of the
> central nervous system. Its main symptoms are - voluntary movements
> disorder,
> increased muscle tone (rigidity) and trembling (tremor). The disease was
> for
> the first time described by an English physician James Parkinson in 1817
> in
> his "Essay on Shaking Palsy". The origin of the disease has not been fully
> investigated yet.
>
> Today, Parkinson's disease is no longer the destiny of elderly people,
> young
> people become increasingly its victims. This was declared by Igor
> Zavolokov,
> head of neurology department, clinics of the Institute of Human Brain,
> Russian Academy of Sciences. According to him, such conclusion was made by
> the St. Petersburg neurologists based on their experience of patient
> management. "Parkinson's disease is rather widespread, said the physician,
> about 1 percent of people older than 60 and about 5 percent of people
> older
> than 80 suffer from it, however, recently the disease is more and more
> often
> registered with the 30-year old patients. Not long ago, a 19-year old girl
> was diagnosed with this disease." According to the researchers' opinion,
> this
> situation is due to increasing negative impact of the environment and
> genetic
> anomalies accumulation.
>
> The drugs that parkinsonism patients have to take lifelong often have
> strong
> side effects and therefore do not relieve the patient's state too much.
> Besides, the drugs lose their effectiveness with time. That is why
> researchers and physicians are in constant search for new remedies.
>
> Transcranial electric polarization may become one of such remedies,
> according
> to the opinion of researchers from the Institute of Human Brain, Russian
> Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg. The experimental group involved 110
> patients with stages of Parkinson's disease from 1 to 4, 80 patients were
> included in the main group where TCEP was applied, and the remaining 30
> made
> the reference group and received only drugs. The patients from the main
> group
> did not give up the drugs either but in addition they received three to
> four
> sessions of electric therapy every other day. Continuous current of 2
> milliampere acted for 15 minutes via cathode and anode on the head skin.
> The
> patients' state was assessed judging by intensity of main symptoms -
> movement
> rate, muscle tone and tremor - prior to the sessions and after them.
>
> According to physicians' observations, TCEP application resulted in
> reduction
> of reduntant muscle tone, increase in movement rate and also decrease of
> drug's side effects. The only thing TCEP had no influence on was tremor.
> Nevertheless, these are considerable results. Effectiveness of procedure
> influence on movements and muscle tone varied from 100 to 63.3 percent
> depending on the stage of disease. The TCEP session effect remained for
> half
> a year to a year.
>
> INFORMNAUKA (INFORMSCIENCE) AGENCY
> http://www.informnauka.ru
>
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