Deep brain stimulation eases Parkinson’s disease symptoms by boosting dopamine

In a new study of seven people with Parkinson’s disease, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers report evidence that deep brain stimulation using electrical impulses jumpstarts the nerve cells that produce the chemical messenger dopamine to reduce tremors and muscle rigidity that are the hallmark of Parkinson’s disease, and increases feelings of well-being. “While deep brain stimulation has been used for treating […]

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Using math to help treat Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other diseases

Protein aggregation—in which misfolded proteins clump together to form large fibrils—has been implicated in many diseases including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and type II diabetes. While the exact role these fibrils play in diseases isn’t fully understood, many of the current treatments for diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s target the aggregation process. However, finding the right treatment protocols for these drugs, which […]

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Smart brain stimulators: Next-gen parkinson’s disease therapy

Researchers at the University of Houston have found neuro biomarkers for Parkinson’s disease that can help create the next generation of “smart” deep brain stimulators, able to respond to specific needs of Parkinson’s disease patients. Those with the disease often undergo the high-frequency brain stimulation, a well-established therapy for the progressive nervous system disorder that affects movement, but the therapy […]

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Effects of deep brain stimulation in patients with Parkinson’s disease

Researchers at Universitätsmedizin Berlin have studied motor and cognitive effects of deep brain stimulation in patients with Parkinson’s disease. Their results show that the adverse cognitive effects of deep brain stimulation are linked to a different neural pathway than that responsible for the treatment’s desired motor effects. This finding will help optimize treatments for patients with Parkinson’s disease. Results from […]

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Parkinson’s implant uses brain’s signals to adapt treatment

Scientists in the USA have developed a new deep brain stimulation method to treat the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. While present deep brain stimulation for Parkinson’s is constant, the new method is ‘adaptive’. This means the stimulation changes in real time, based on the patient’s neural signals. The study, published today in the Journal of Neural Engineering, used brief in-clinic […]

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