Magnetic Stimulation Has Persistent Effects In Parkinson's Patients
WESTPORT, Sep 28, 1999 (Reuters Health) - The effects of transcranial
magnetic stimulation (TMS) in patients with Parkinson's disease are
dose-dependent. Also, the benefits are long-lasting, suggesting that it
may be a valuable therapeutic tool in this population.
Drs. Judit Mally and T. W. Stone, of Erszebet Korhaz in Sopron, Hungary,
and the University of Glasgow, in Scotland, respectively, examined the
effects of short-term TMS in 49 patients with Parkinson's disease. The
patients were randomly assigned to four treatment groups in which they
received TMS at approximately 0.34 Tesla, once or twice a day, or 0.57
or 0.80 Tesla, twice a day. Each treatment lasted 30 pulses and was
administered for 7 days.
Treatment with stable doses of levodopa and benzerazide was continued in
all patients throughout the study.
Hypokinesia improved significantly relative to baseline at 1 month in
all patients except those receiving the lowest TMS dose once daily.
These benefits persisted at 3 months, according to a report in the
September 15th issue of the Journal of Neuroscience Research.
The improvements in Parkinson's disease symptoms were greatest at both
time points in the group of patients who received TMS at approximately
0.57 Tesla twice daily, in whom mean scores on the Unified Parkinson
Disability Rating Scale decreased from 30.62 at baseline to 17.08 at 1
month and 16.08 at 3 months.
"The long-lasting effect of 7 days' treatment with TMS cannot be
properly explained at present," Drs. Mally and Stone say. They suspect
that the effect is the result of enhanced dopamine release, which cannot
be attributed to levodopa since the dosage of this drug remained
constant in all patients throughout the study.
"In this study, we have given further evidence that repetitive TMS is
useful not only in depression but also in the treatment of Parkinson's
disease," the authors conclude. Based on these data, they "...strongly
suggest that it may be appropriate for [TMS] to be introduced as a novel
therapeutic strategy in the treatment of Parkinson's disease."
J Neurosci Res 1999;57:935-940.
Copyright 1999 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
©1996-1998 Inteli-Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
--
Judith Richards, London, Ontario, Canada
[log in to unmask]
^^^^
\ /
\ | / Today’s Research
\\ | // ...Tomorrow’s Cure
\ | /
\|/
`````
