Re: Spinal Cord Stimulator Sparks Hope For Parkinson's Disease Treatment

[rayilynlee <rayilynlee@xxxxxxx>]

thanks for the video, John.  I posted this news about a month ago.
Ray

Rayilyn Brown
Director AZNPF
Arizona Chapter National Parkinson Foundation
rbrown@xxxxxxxxx

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From: "John Cottingham"
<jcott@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, June 03, 2009 12:07 AM
To: <PARKINSN@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
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:
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> > following formats:
> > APA
> >
> > MLA
> > Duke University Medical Center (2009, March 21). Novel Spinal Cord
> > Stimulator Sparks Hope For Parkinson's Disease Treatment
>
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