Today's News Minute From Johns Hopkins: Unfreezing Parkinson's
October 1, 1999
BALTIMORE (Johns Hopkins) - The experience is fairly common among
people with Parkinson's disease: People want to move but find
themselves frozen in place
Doctors aren't sure why this happens. It is known that external
cues can help. A light, a noise, a touch, even a pattern on the
floor -- for some reason, these kinds of sensory triggers help
some Parkinson's patients "unfreeze", as it were, and temporarily
restores movement. But why does the brain react this way, and
can it be controlled? Research underway at Johns Hopkins will
soon allow researchers to take pictures of the brain as it reacts
to such cues
Assistant professor of neurology Dr. Allen Mandir describes one
goal. "Examining brain activity during self and stimulus
initiated movements would lead to better motor strategies
Perhaps Parkinson's disease patients may develop new internal
strategies to overcome a freezing episode," says Dr. Mandir
Dr. Mandir says an improved understanding of motor control is
important, since no drug currently available can stop or reverse
Parkinson's
Copyright 1999 The Johns Hopkins University.
--
Judith Richards, London, Ontario, Canada
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