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optogenetics will help scientists understand which cells are doing what so they can better target them Ray Rayilyn Brown Director AZNPF Arizona Chapter National Parkinson Foundation [log in to unmask] -------------------------------------------------- From: "Steve Rack" <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Sunday, March 22, 2009 9:04 AM To: <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Re: Human trials in 2010 >>Zapping Parkinson's with shocks to spinal cord yields 'dramatic change' >>Last Updated: Friday, March 20, 2009 | 5:07 PM ET >>CBC News >> >>Mice and rats immobilized with Parkinson's-like symptoms were able to >>scurry around normally after researchers stimulated their spinal cords >>with electricity. > > .... > >>How does it work? >> >>In healthy people, neurons fire to different muscles at different moments. >> >>Research suggests that in Parkinson's, neurons all start firing at once, >>like excited preschoolers all talking at the same time instead of raising >>their hands to be called on one at a time. >> >>Spinal cord stimulation appears to send a signal up to the brain to >>interrupt the pattern of misfiring, said Dr. Walter Koroshetz, deputy >>director of the U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and >>Stroke, which helped fund the work. > > This is interesting. The way Pd is usually explained is that we lose the > use of neurotransmitters (mainly dopamine) therefor leaving our movements > are either over stimulated (tremor or dyskenisia) or under stimulated > (freezing "poverty of movement"). I have sometimes wondered how impaired > signals could lead to excess movement. This "all firing at once" model > makes sense to me. > -- > Steve in VT > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: > mailto:[log in to unmask] > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn