hi paul, sorry to say there seems to be no straight-forward answer. having
read about the initial success with mice i asked my husband's neurologist
who is head of the movement disorder clinic at DUKE what he thought the time
line would be and, low and behold, he had not even heard of this research
going on at his institution. i was dumbfounded. sometimes i wonder if there
ever will be actual progress made.
trauti
----- Original Message -----
From: <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, June 05, 2009 8:36 PM
Subject: Re: Spinal Cord Stimulator Sparks Hope For Parkinson's Disease
Treatment


> And I'll ask more or less the same question I asked a month ago. When is
> the next step to be taken? I guess I just don't understand the world (and
> maybe the rules or mores) of scientific research. Will someone start
> investigating the process with humans only if there is profit on the
> horizon? Sure
> doesn't fit my type A personality! Why doesn't a PD Organization fund it.
> Or
> maybe Ali or Fox if their Foundations can afford it. If I could afford it
> I would! It is so stupidly frustrating to keep reading about mice without
> a
> concrete time line reference to humans. And if Apes come first, then GET
> STARTED. If there were to be a call for Clinical Trial volunteers the
> line
> would probably stretch from here to Natal Brazil.
>
> Paul H. Lauer
>
>
> In a message dated 6/4/2009 2:00:24 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
> [log in to unmask] writes:
>
> thanks for the video, John. I posted this news about a month ago.
> Ray
>
> Rayilyn Brown
> Director AZNPF
> Arizona Chapter National Parkinson Foundation
> [log in to unmask]
>
> --------------------------------------------------
> From: "John Cottingham"
> <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Wednesday, June 03, 2009 12:07 AM
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Spinal Cord Stimulator Sparks Hope For Parkinson's Disease
> Treatment
>
>> New research of stimulation of the spinal cord instead of the brain
> shows
>> promise of countering movement disorders associated with Parkinson's
>> disease.
>>
>> Video from Duke University shows what has been accomplished. That video
> is
>> on the PIENO maillist page at:
>>
>> http://parkinsons-information-exchange-network-online.com/maillist.html
>>
>> Perhaps annual additions to the "Hole in the Head Gang" won't be
> necessary
>> if this proves to be a viable non-invasive treatment.
>>
>> John Cottingham
>>
>>
>>
>>>Novel Spinal Cord Stimulator Sparks Hope For Parkinson's Disease
> Treatment
>>>
>>>ScienceDaily (Mar. 21, 2009) &shy; A novel stimulation method, the first
>>>potential therapy to target the spinal cord instead of the brain, may
>>>offer an effective and less invasive approach for Parkinson's disease
>>>treatment, according to pre-clinical data published in the journal
> Science
>>>by researchers at Duke University Medical Center.
>>>
>>>Researchers developed a prosthetic device that applies electrical
>>>stimulation to the dorsal column in the spinal cord, which is a main
>>>sensory pathway carrying tactile information from the body to the brain.
>
>>>The device was attached to the surface of the spinal cord in mice and
> rats
>>>with depleted levels of the chemical dopamine - mimicking the biologic
>>>characteristics of someone with Parkinson's disease along with the
>>>impaired motor skills seen in advanced stages of the disease.
>>>
>>>When the device was turned on, the dopamine-depleted animals' slow,
> stiff
>>>movements were replaced with the active behaviors of healthy mice and
>>>rats. Improved movement was typically observed within 3.35 seconds after
>
>>>stimulation.
>>>
>>>"We see an almost immediate and dramatic change in the animal's ability
> to
>>>function when the device stimulates the spinal cord," says senior study
>>>investigator Miguel Nicolelis, M.D., Ph.D., the Anne W. Deane Professor
> of
>>>Neuroscience at Duke. "Moreover, it is easy to use, significantly less
>>>invasive than other alternatives to medication, such as deep brain
>>>stimulation, and has the potential for widespread use in conjunction
> with
>>>medications typically used to treat Parkinson's disease."
>>>
>>>Researchers tested mice and rats with acute and chronic dopamine deficit
>>>using varying levels of electrical stimulation and in combination with
>>>different doses of dopamine replacement therapy, also known as
>>>3,4-dihydroxy-L-phenylalanine or L-DOPA, to determine the most effective
>
>>>pairing.
>>>
>>>When the device was used without additional medication, Parkinsonian
>>>animals were 26 times more active. When stimulation was coupled with
>>>medication, only two L-DOPA doses were needed to produce movement
> compared
>>>to five doses when the medication was used by itself.
>>>
>>>"This work addresses an important need because people living with
>>>Parkinson's disease face a difficult reality - L-Dopa will eventually
> stop
>>>managing the symptoms," explains Romulo Fuentes, a postdoctoral fellow
> at
>>>Duke University and lead author of the study. "Patients are left with
> few
>>>options for treatment, including electrical stimulation of the brain,
>>>which is appropriate for only a subset of patients."
>>>
>>>While deep brain stimulation (DBS) and other experimental treatments
>>>attack the disease at its origin - in the brain - Nicolelis and team
> took
>>>a different approach. The concept for the device began when researchers
>>>made a surprising connection with another neurological condition.
>>>
>>>"It was a moment of sudden insight," explains Nicolelis. "We were
>>>analyzing the brain activity of mice with Parkinson's disease and
> suddenly
>>>it reminded me of some research I'd done in the epilepsy field a decade
>>>earlier. The ideas began to flow from there."
>>>
>>>The rhythmic brain activity in the animals with Parkinson's disease
>>>resembled the mild, continuous, low-frequency seizures that are seen in
>>>those with epilepsy. One effective therapy for treating epilepsy inv
> olves
>>>stimulating the peripheral nerves, which facilitate communication
> between
>>>the spinal cord and the body. Researchers took that concept and
> developed
>>>a modified approach for a Parkinson's disease model.
>>>
>>>Nicolelis says that the low frequency seizures, or oscillations, seen in
>>>the animal model of Parkinson's disease have been observed in humans
> with
>>>the condition. Stimulating the dorsal column of the spinal cord reduces
>>>these oscillations, which researchers believe creates the ability to
>>>produce motor function.
>>>
>>>In a healthy body, neurons fire at varying rates as information is
>>>transmitted between the brain and the body to initiate normal movement.
>>>This process breaks down in someone with Parkinson's disease.
>>>
>>>"Our device works as an interface with the brain to produce a neural
> state
>>>permissive for locomotion, facilitating immediate and dramatic recovery
> of
>>>movement," says Per Petersson, co-author of the study. "Following
>>>stimulation, the neurons desynchronize, similar to the firing pattern
> that
>>>you would see when a healthy mouse is continuously moving."
>>>
>>>Nicolelis says that if the device is proven safe and effective through
>>>further research, he imagines it mirroring similar spinal cord
> stimulator
>>>technology currently used to treat chronic pain. Small leads are
> implanted
>>>over the spinal cord and then connected to a portable generator, a small
>>>device capable of producing mild electrical currents. During the trial
>>>period, the generator is external, while for permanent treatment it
> would
>>>be implanted below the skin.
>>>
>>>"If we can demonstrate that the device is safe and effective over the
> long
>>>term in primates and then humans, virtually every patient could be
>>>eligible for this treatment in the near future," Nicolelis said.
>>>
>>>The Duke team is collaborating with neuroscientists at the Edmond and
> Lily
>>>Safra International Institute of Neuroscience in Natal, Brazil, to test
>>>the new procedure in primate models of Parkinson's disease prior to
>>>initiating clinical studies. Neuroscientists from the Brain and Mind
>>>Institute at the Swiss Institute of Technology (EPFL), in Lausanne,
>>>Switzerland, will also participate in this international research effort
>>>to translate these new findings into clinical practice.
>>>
>>>Study co-authors include William Siesser and Marc Caron.
>>>
>>>Funding for this research was provided by grants from the National
>>>Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), International
>>>Neuroscience Network Foundation (INNF) and the Anne W. Deane Endowed
>>>Chair.
>>>
>>>----------
>>>Adapted from materials provided by Duke University Medical Center.
>>>Email or share this story:
>>>Need to cite this story in your essay, paper, or report? Use one of the
>>>following formats:
>>>APA
>>>
>>>MLA
>>>Duke University Medical Center (2009, March 21). Novel Spinal Cord
>>>Stimulator Sparks Hope For Parkinson's Disease Treatment
>>
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