Around 10 million people worldwide are living with Parkinson’s disease, a progressive nervous system disorder impacting movement. While there are many current and proposed treatments, the medical community continues to look into ways to improve quality of life for patients. According to data from a 5-year trial, published in Neurology, deep brain stimulation (DBS) is effective in easing symptoms.
Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson’s disease is a progressive central nervous system disorder which impairs movement and motor function. Generally, it occurs in five stages, with Stage 1 being the mildest stage (light tremors on one side of the body). However, by Stage 5, most patients cannot live, walk, or stand by themselves. Parkinson’s disease usually affects people over the age of 50. The condition results from the death of dopaminergic neurons. Symptoms include:
- Muscle stiffness and rigidity
- Dementia or hallucinations
- Changes in speech
- Difficulty moving
- Tremors in both hands
- Impaired posture and balance
Learn more about Parkinson’s disease here.
Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS)
In this 5-year pilot study, researchers examined the impact of deep brain stimulation (DBS) on patients with early-stage Parkinson’s disease. Deep brain stimulation is a treatment for patients with movement disorders. Electrodes, or a neurostimulator, are implanted into the brain to regulate abnormal electrical impulses. So far, DBS is safe and well-tolerated to stimulate the subthalamic nucleus (STN) in patients with later stages of Parkinsons’ disease.
However, researchers wanted to understand whether this therapy was equally safe for patients in early stages of the disease. Their study included 30 participants aged 50 to 75. Patients were in Stage 2 of Parkinson’s disease. Patients had taken medication from 6 months to 4 years.
During the study, patients were either given STN deep brain stimulation in combination with drug therapy, or just drug therapy (levodopa). Next, they were observed within a 3-year follow-up study. Overall, researchers found that patients using DBS in conjunction with drug therapy required lower doses than those just taking levodopa. Additionally, patients using the combination treatment were 16x less likely to require multiple drug therapies for symptom reduction.
Finally, patients taking levodopa alone were 5x more likely to see symptom progression, including worsening tremors and motor function.
Read the source article here.
