 |
 |
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) 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 involves >>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 > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > 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