Patients who have been diagnosed with Parkinsons disease (PD) may have relief from symptoms associated with the condition in the near future, according to a study presented at the 2010 American Society for Stereotactical and Functional Neurosurgery.
In an effort to find potential treatments for individuals with the nervous system disorder, a team of researchers at Rhode Island Hospital conducted a series of exercises that stimulated the spinal cord on an animal model, which showed signs of PD. Because the findings displayed better motor function in the animal, the investigators tested the treatment with spinal cord simulation on a male patient aged 82 years.
While the individual wasnt receiving any form of medication as treatment for the disorder, researchers used different frequencies of stimulation to determine if a human would experience similar results compared to the animal model.
The researchers discovered that high stimulation frequencies made it easier for the patient to walk, while low frequencies worsened PD side effects.
While the results of the study did give investigators some insight as to how to treat PD patients, clinical trials with a larger group of patients would be more beneficial to developing treatment.
Finding therapies for this disorder is growing in interest throughout the medical world, as QR Pharma and Massachusetts General Hospital have launched research to determine a way to block a protein associated the development of PD.