Something I haven't heard of before from the pduk List. Carole --- Martin Purchase <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > The following article appeared in Scotland on Sunday > 9-1-00 > > Electric shock treatment helps Parkinson’s sufferers to > walk > > > By Tom Peterkin > > SCIENTISTS have developed a revolutionary treatment for > Parkinson’s disease > using magnetic energy to stimulate the brain. > > Professor Trevor Stone of Glasgow University and his > Hungarian colleague Dr > Judit Mally say disabled sufferers have regained the > ability to walk after > receiving the pioneering treatment. > > Nearly 300 patients have been recipients of the new > technique, which uses a > small magnetic coil to pass high-speed pulses of > electrical power into the > brain. > > A study carried out by Stone and Mally for the Journal of > Neuroscience > Research revealed there was a marked improvement in the > condition for up to > six months after a week’s treatment. > > More than 120,000 people in the UK have the disease and > the figure is > rising. More people are diagnosed over the age of 60, but > it is estimated > that one in 20 are under 40 when diagnosed. The boxer > Muhammad Ali is > probably the most high profile sufferer. > > It is a common progressive neurological disorder that > results from a > degeneration of nerve cells in a region of the brain that > controls > movement. The symptoms of the debilitating illness > include slow movement, > the inability to move, rigid limbs, a shuffling gait and > a stooped > posture. > > Sufferers often also show reduced facial expression and > can cause > personality changes, dementia and speech impairments. > > Mally, of the Elizabeth Hospital in Sopron, Hungary, > said: "Treatment only > takes one minute twice a day. It is totally painless and > it lasts for six > months. After six months we can repeat the treatment. > > > > "We have observed an excellent functional improvement in > patients. For > example, a patient, who could not stand up from a chair > was able to get up > after treatment." > > At the moment the new technique is only available in > Hungary, but Stone is > keen to attract funding to use his expertise to bring the > treatment over to > Scotland. He said: "The value of this technique is an > exciting development, > and Dr Mally and I are trying to attract funds to pilot > the technique in > Scotland." > > Transcranial magnetic stimulation has shown encouraging > results in the > treatment of depression and migraine, but until now its > potential for > treating Parkinson’s patients has been neglected. > > A small magnetic coil is placed close to the head and > high speed pulses of > power – or tiny electric shocks – are passed into the > brain. > > It is thought that the pulses stimulate the brain cells > affected by > Parkinson’s. > > Mally explained: "Patients with Parkinson’s have an > obstruction in the > brain, which stops them from starting a movement. The > patient thinks he > wants to start walking, for example, but the obstruction > prevents him from > doing so. The performance of the movement is very > difficult. Somehow the > pulses overcome this obstruction." > > She added: "We have found that the effectiveness of the > treatment depends > on the frequency and the intensity of the electromagnetic > field and the > direction of the treatment is also very important. This > is a very new way > of treating patients with electricity and it is exciting > that it appears to > be so successful." > > Stone added: "It is this inability to move that patients > find most > distressing, but if we give them just a little treatment > then they find > they can keep walking. > > "The magnetic field stimulates fibres in the brain and > causes them to start > talking to each other, which they cease doing when > somebody has > Parkinson’s." > > Stone and Mally are hopeful that their method will prove > to be more > successful and less harmful than existing drug therapies, > which lead to > unpleasant side effects such as confusion, hallucinations > and fluctuations > in long-term ability to perform movements. > > At the moment there is still no known cure for the > disease, but drug > treatments result in improvements in the condition in the > short term. > > > > > > --- > You are currently subscribed to pduk as: > [[log in to unmask]] > To unsubscribe, forward this message to > [log in to unmask] > To contact the list administrator, email > [log in to unmask] > > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com