A breakthrough study by the New England Journal of Medicine has found that implanting the treatment ‘deep brain stimulation’ (DBS) in the early days rather than the end (as is usually done), can massively reduce the symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease.
Given at the beginning of the course of treatment, DBS can reduce tremors and the other difficult symptoms of the neurodegenerative disease.
These new results are a game-changer for the medical world, where up until now electric stimulating devices were only implanted as a very last resort, after medication had stopped working for a patient.
The study means that the whole medical community will need to change the way they do business, which is no mean feat. But it is a breakthrough that will improve the quality of lives of thousands who suffer from the disease.
The disease mainly affects people over the age of 60, but there are many cases in people as young as 40. As well as movement, Parkinson’s Disease also affects breathing and heart function. It is caused by the deterioration of nerve cells in the brain that produce dopamine, the little blighter that controls muscle movement.
Zvi Israel, a senior neurosurgery lecturer from Hadassah University Medical Center in Jerusalem told JPost.com: “DBS has until now been reserved for those patients with fairly advanced disease, who have already developed complications of medical therapy. DBS turns the clock back on the disease for these patients by many years.
“Sometimes the effects are very dramatic. Most patients enjoy a much better quality of life, often regaining independence and reducing their medication by an average of 50%.”
While there is still no absolute cure for Parkinson’s Disease, the findings are very important and will completely shake up the way treatment is implemented around the world. This is science and research at its most gangster.
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Filed under: Mind, Science
