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Inside The Brain: Transforming Parkinson’s

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By on Family Health Parkinsons

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Ivanhoe Newswire) — More than one million Americans are living with Parkinson’s disease and another 90,000 people are expected to be diagnosed this year. But scientists say new breakthroughs are bringing real hope. From advanced surgical options to next-generation medications and cell-based therapies, researchers are closer than ever to changing the future of Parkinson’s.

Building a bird fountain and watching the deer steal a nibble are gifts Steve Purcell once thought he’d never see again.

“At the time I was diagnosed, I did some research online and came up with the accepted life expectancy for someone with Parkinson’s was 10 years,” he recalled.

Diagnosed at just 54, the former dental assistant began losing control of his hands — making everyday tasks impossible. But a new approach changed his life.

Vanderbilt University Medical Center Professor & Vice-Chair of Neurology David Charles, MD is studying deep brain stimulation, or DBS, in the earliest stages of Parkinson’s.

“A medical device that’s implanted in the brain in people with Parkinson’s disease, two electrodes, which are about the thickness of an angel hair pasta noodle, are implanted in each side of the brain,” he described.

The device sends electrical pulses to specific areas of the brain helping control movement. A new study found it may actually slow or stop the progression of motor symptoms.

“About a third of the people that received deep brain stimulation, in fact, did have their motor symptoms stop progressing over a course of two years. And in Parkinson’s disease, that should never happen,” Dr. Charles told Ivanhoe.

“It’s just not something to get a diagnosis of and lose hope,” said Steve.

Now, living a life filled with hope, Steve and his wife, Patsy, are proof that Parkinson’s progress is possible.

It’s not just surgery showing promise. New dopamine therapies provide more precise, long-lasting relief. Focused ultrasound is now approved to treat both sides of the brain — helping reduce tremors without invasive surgery. Meanwhile, disease-modifying drugs target the symptoms of Parkinson’s, and stem-cell replacement treatments are moving closer to FDA approval giving new hope to patients like Steve.

Contributors to this news report include: Marsha Lewis, Producer; Matt Goldschmidt, Videographer; Roque Correa, Editor.

Sources:

https://www.parkinson.org/understanding-parkinsons/statistics

https://www.michaeljfox.org/news/advances-parkinsons-therapies-five-key-areas-watch

* For More Information, Contact:             Kylie Avery

Senior Public Relations Specialist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center

kylie.avery@vumc.org

and

Craig Boerner

Assistant Director, Media Director, National News Director at Vanderbilt University Medical Center

craig.boerner@vumc.org

Free weekly e-mail on Prescription: Health from Ivanhoe. To sign up: http://www.ivanhoe.com/ftk

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