This statement;

"Introducing the tests in clinics as part of regular health exams could
result in earlier diagnosis of Parkinson's, allowing the disease progression
to be controlled with diet and medication,'' "

puzzles me. As far as I know there is no medication available that controls
the progression of PD. Nor can diet. Therefore there is absolutely no
physical benefit in being diagnosed earlier.


Nic 57/15


On Tue, Jul 14, 2009 at 7:24 AM, mschild <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Study may aid early diagnosis of Parkinson's, attention deficit.
>
>
> Canwest News ServiceJuly 13, 2009
>
>
> KINGSTON, Ont. - Studies into how quickly and accurately we are able to
> control our eye movements could help diagnose attention deficit
> hyperactivity
> disorder and the early onset of Parkinson's disease, researchers at Queen's
> University said Monday.
> ``An important aspect of what makes us human is the ability to control our
> behaviour,'' physiology professor Douglas Munoz said. ``Our project
> investigates how the brain provides this control by observing eye
> movements.''
> In the study, participants from a wide range of age groups were placed in a
> magnetic resonance imaging unit that measures and records brain activity.
> They
> were then shown a series of lights and asked to move their eyes toward or
> away
> from the illumination. The speed and accuracy of their eye movements were
> recorded and correlated to the activity being documented in specific areas
> of
> their brains.
> ``In preliminary experiments, kids with ADHD could not help but look at the
> light no matter if they were asked to look away or not. Normal brain
> activity
> was also decreased,'' Munoz said. ``When they took their ADHD medication
> the
> success rates, and the activity in certain areas of the brain, increased.
> This
> test could, therefore, be used to examine the effectiveness of new ADHD
> medication.''
> He said the same holds true for people with Parkinson's disease, a
> neurological disorder that affects the brain's motor control systems.
> ``In preliminary experiments, patients with the disease had a consistent
> pattern of eye movement time and brain activity. Introducing the tests in
> clinics as part of regular health exams could result in earlier diagnosis
> of
> Parkinson's, allowing the disease progression to be controlled with diet
> and
> medication,'' Munoz said.
> The researchers were also able to see which sections of the participant's
> brains were active, and which were less active, with age.
> Munoz said the studies will continue over the next five years. The project
> has
> received close to $1 million in funding from the Canadian Institutes of
> Health
> Research.
>
>
>
>
>
>
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