Researching Parkinson's
The last three decades of research have gone a long way to lay foundations for a range of modern tests, trials and research into the causes and cures of Parkinson's. It is hoped that further progression in terms of research will ensure that in the near future, patients can benefit from heightened levels of more effective treatment and perhaps even the elusive cure, or prevention methods. Whilst some researchers are investigating the condition, and how it impacts upon the body and the brain, others focus primarily on the four main causal theories, and are attempting to definitively come up with solutions to these causes. Of the millions spent each year in research, results are slow, although comfort can be taken in the fact that they are progressing all the time, and there is a reasonable chance we will know more tomorrow than we did today about this dreadful condition.
Another subject under scrutiny is the possibility of surgically grafting nerves to the brain to promote the production of the drug dopamine, vital for movement. Until now, no procedure or treatment has come close to achieving this goal, and this is something that is the subject of numerous trials and tests to figure the most effective method of surgery as well as the actual probability of success of such an operation.
Additionally, the discovery of toxins which induce the condition has allowed scientists to continue testing to learn more about the mechanisms of Parkinson's, and how the disease evolves and develops within patients. It is now possible to artificially induce the condition in animals under laboratory conditions, and come up with suitable ways of calming the symptoms, or perhaps preventing them altogether.
Other subjects under investigation relate to the drugs currently available for treatment of Parkinson's disease and the development thereof, with particular emphasis on controlled-release properties, which would act to minimise the potential side effects and maximise the impact of the drugs designed to promote dopamine within the brain. Another treatment in testing involves the implant of dopamine capsules into the brain, with timed release capabilities, although these are still some way off mainstream medical consideration.
Scientists are also concerned with different ways in which dopamine can be created in other parts of the brain. In animal testing, it has been shown that by increasing dopamine production elsewhere in the brain, the symptoms of Parkinson's can be somewhat alleviated, which is thought to have transferable potential for humans suffering from the condition.
The future is sure to yield many promising developments, and perhaps one day Parkinson's will be a condition of the past. However, in the interim, it is crucial to keep faith in the current treatments and medications in a bid to halt the developments of the condition and promote extended healthy and happy lives for the patients this disease affects. Research is continually ongoing into a diverse range of related issues, and this will hopefully pay dividends in knowledge on the condition in the years to follow.
Parkinson's Disease news on the Web
Gene Therapy Helps Children With Rare, Incurable Brain Disease
Using gene transfer techniques pioneered by University of Florida faculty, Taiwanese doctors have restored some movement in four children bedridden with a rare, life-threatening neurological disease. The first-in-humans achievement may also be helpful for more common diseases such as Parkinson's that involve nerve cell damage caused by lack of a crucial molecule in brain tissue... |
Unravelling How Locomotion Starts
Scientists at the University of Bristol have shed new light on one of the great unanswered questions of neuroscience: how the brain initiates rhythmic movements like walking, running and swimming... |
Potential To Predict Parkinson's Disease Via Colonoscopy Or Flexible Sigmoidoscopy
Two studies by neurological researchers at Rush University Medical Center suggest that, in the future, colonic tissue obtained during either colonoscopy or flexible sigmoidoscopy may be used to predict who will develop Parkinson's disease, a neurodegenerative disorder of aging that that leads to progressive deterioration of motor function due to loss of neurons in the brain tha... |
Damaged Stem Cells Commit Suicide For The Good Of The Embryo
Embryonic stem cells - those revered cells that give rise to every cell type in the body - just got another badge of honor. If they suffer damage that makes them a threat to the developing embryo, they swiftly fall on their swords for the greater good, according to a study published online in the journal Molecular Cell... |
Once-Marginalized Parkinson's Disease Theory May Be Valid
The March issue of the FEBS Journal reports that scientists from the Californian University in San Diego have discovered new evidence for a theory that was once marginalized with regard to the underlying causes of Parkinson's disease, which conflicts with an older theory that Parkinson's and other neurodegenerative diseases are caused by insoluble intracellular fibrils called amyloids... |
Strong Support Uncovered For Once-Marginalized Theory On Parkinson's Disease
University of California, San Diego scientists have used powerful computational tools and laboratory tests to discover new support for a once-marginalized theory about the underlying cause of Parkinson's disease. The new results conflict with an older theory that insoluble intracellular fibrils called amyloids cause Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases... |
Parkinson's Patients Might Respond To 19th Century Vibration-Chair Therapy
To relieve symptoms of Parkinson's disease, Jean-Martin Charcot, a famous neurologist in the 19th century developed a "vibration chair" that showed improvements in his patients. However, Charcot died soon afterwards, before being able to conduct a more comprehensive evaluation of his therapy... |
Parkinson's Protein Causes Disease Spread In Animal Model
Last year, researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania found that small amounts of a misfolded brain protein can be taken up by healthy neurons, replicating within them to cause neurodegeneration... |
Understanding How Parkinson's Disease Starts And Spreads
Injection of a small amount of clumped protein triggers a cascade of events leading to a Parkinson's-like disease in mice, according to an article published online this week in the Journal of Experimental Medicine. Progressive accumulation of clumps of the protein alpha-synuclein in the brains of patients with Parkinson's disease coincides with the onset of motor dysfunction... |
Easing Depression In Parkinson's Patients Without Worsening Other Symptoms
Today's anti-depressant medications can ease depression in Parkinson's patients without worsening other symptoms of the disease, according to a study published online in Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. "Depression is the number-one factor negatively affecting the quality of life for people with Parkinson's disease," said Irene Hegeman Richard, M.D... |
Ocular Tremors Parkinson's Disease Link
A study, published Online First by Archives of Neurology, reveals that persistent eye tremors seem to be common in individuals suffering from Parkinson's disease (PD). Ocular tremors can prevent eye stability during fixation and results from the study indicate that precise oculomotor testing could provide an early physiological biomarker for diagnosing Parkinson's disease. George T... |
Eating Berries May Lower Men's Parkinson's Risk
Men who regularly consume foods rich in flavonoids, such as berries, apples, certain vegetables, tea and red wine, may significantly reduce their risk for developing Parkinson's disease, according to a study published in the journal Neurology this week that saw no such effect among women... |
Potential Strategy To Restore Motor And Cognitive Function In Parkinson's Disease
An agent under consideration for use in PET imaging combats neuronal death to relieve Parkinsonian symptoms in animal models, according to a study published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine. The movement-related symptoms of Parkinson's disease, including muscle rigidity and tremors, are caused by the loss of dopamine-secreting neurons in the brain... |
|