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PARKINSON'S DISEASE NEWS The following is from Viartis : 4th June 2008 - New book Monkeys in the Middle Nick Nelson "Monkeys in the Middle : How One Drug Company Kept a Parkinsons Disease Breakthrough Out of Reach". Some claimed it was a miracle drug. Others called it the cure. A drug known simply as "GDNF" seemed to be reversing the effects of Parkinson's disease. The miracle ended in 2004 when Amgen halted clinical trials of GDNF and denied access to the drug, due to the results of toxicity studies. Nick Nelson recounts the story of the patients who took on the world's biggest biotechnology company for the right to continue using GDNF. Click here for more details. Despite the claims of being cured, some of the patients claiming the greatest benefit had actually been taking a placebo. A subsequent and more recent independent clinical trial showed no benefit from the use of GDNF. 3rd June 2008 - New research functional electrical stimulation (FES) Neuromodulation [2008] 11 (2) : 143-149 (G.E.Mann, S.M.Finn, P.N.Taylor) Complete abstract The use of electrical impulses to stimulate weak or paralyzed muscles, called Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES), is often used to help stroke or multiple sclerosis patients to walk. For more information go to Functional electrical stimulation. Many people with Parkinson's are prone to tripping and falling because they have difficulty picking up their feet consistently. They also can have difficulty with starting and maintaining walking. This study aimed to investigate the effect of Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) on walking ability in people with Parkinson's disease. People with idiopathic Parkinson's disease received electrical stimulation for eight weeks to the common peroneal nerve to improve heel strike and provide sensory stimulus during walking. An immediate improvement was demonstrated with FES on distance and average stride length during a short walk during the treatment period, but not on the number of steps and walking speed during a longer walk. A training effect was observed for all measures of walking ability. Fewer falls and episodes of freezing occurred during the treatment period. The number of falls returned to pre-treatment levels when treatment was stopped. Rayilyn Brown Board Member AZNPF Arizona Chapter National Parkinson's Foundation [log in to unmask] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn