An incurable disease that causes painful muscle spasms just got $45,000 closer to a cure.
Dystonia is an uncomfortable condition that causes muscles to contract involuntarily, forcing the body to twist into uncontrolled and repetitive positions. It’s a disease that affects even the simplest of tasks—eating, walking, reading, writing, sitting. Yikes.
The funding boost, awarded by the Dystonia Society, landed in the lap of Dr. Tom Gilbertson, a Clinical Lecturer of Neurology at the University of Dundee. According to an article in The Herald, Dr. Gilbertson’s research will support the development of new treatments.
Currently,there is an available dystonia treatment for patients, but it works fairly inconsistently.
“The aim of our study is to apply recent advances in understanding the role of striatal dopamine in order to generate new insights into the basic biology of the disease,” Gilbertson said.
His research hopes to help the 70,000 people in the United Kingdom who are affected by this disease, and the many thousands more who suffer throughout the world. This man is on a mission to improve treatment options, and fingers crossed, find a cure.
