I HAVE PARKINSON'S DISEASES AND THOUGHT IT WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE A PLACE WHERE THE CONTENTS OF UPDATED NEWS IS FOUND IN ONE PLACE. THAT IS WHY I BEGAN THIS BLOG.

I COPY NEWS ARTICLES PERTAINING TO RESEARCH, NEWS AND INFORMATION FOR PARKINSON'S DISEASE, DEMENTIA, THE BRAIN, DEPRESSION AND PARKINSON'S WITH DYSTONIA. I ALSO POST ABOUT FUNDRAISING FOR PARKINSON'S DISEASE AND EVENTS. I TRY TO BE UP-TO-DATE AS POSSIBLE.

I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR IT'S CONTENTS. I AM JUST A COPIER OF INFORMATION SEARCHED ON THE COMPUTER. PLEASE UNDERSTAND THE COPIES ARE JUST THAT, COPIES AND AT TIMES, I AM UNABLE TO ENLARGE THE WORDING OR KEEP IT UNIFORMED AS I WISH. IT IS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND I AM A PERSON WITH PARKINSON'S DISEASE. I HAVE NO MEDICAL EDUCATION,

I JUST WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU WHAT I READ ON THE INTERNET. IT IS UP TO YOU TO DECIDE WHETHER TO READ IT AND TALK IT OVER WITH YOUR DOCTOR. I AM JUST THE COPIER OF DOCUMENTS FROM THE COMPUTER. I DO NOT HAVE PROOF OF FACT OR FICTION OF THE ARTICLE. I ALSO TRY TO PLACE A LINK AT THE BOTTOM OF EACH ARTICLE TO SHOW WHERE I RECEIVED THE INFORMATION SO THAT YOU MAY WANT TO VISIT THEIR SITE.

THIS IS FOR YOU TO READ AND TO ALWAYS KEEP AN OPEN MIND.

PLEASE DISCUSS THIS WITH YOUR DOCTOR, SHOULD YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, OR CONCERNS. NEVER DO ANYTHING WITHOUT TALKING TO YOUR DOCTOR FIRST..

I DO NOT MAKE ANY MONEY FROM THIS WEBSITE. I VOLUNTEER MY TIME TO HELP ALL OF US TO BE INFORMED.

I WILL NOT ACCEPT ANY ADVERTISEMENT OR HEALING POWERS, HEALING FROM HERBS AND ETC. UNLESS IT HAS GONE THROUGH TRIALS AND APPROVED BY FDA. IT WILL GO INTO SPAM.

THIS IS A FREE SITE FOR ALL WITH NO ADVERTISEMENTS

THANK YOU FOR VISITING! TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

Friday, March 13, 2015

Adjusting Deep Brain Stimulation Can Ease Swallowing and Freezing of Gait in Parkinson’s

Science News

- Feb 13 2015

In people who have had deep brain stimulation (DBS) for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease (PD), lowering the stimulation settings may improve swallowing difficulties and freezing episodes when walking. The results of the new study appear in the January 27 edition of Neurology.

DBS involves surgically implanting electrical stimulators into the brain. It is a standard therapy for people with PD who have developed fluctuations in the effectiveness of levodopa (given as Sinemet®) and disabling dyskinesias (involuntary movements), and are otherwise healthy. Yet, even with DBS and medications, some PD symptoms remain difficult to treat.

For the new study, researchers led by Tao Xie, M.D., Ph.D., at the University of Chicago, tested the effects of decreasing the stimulation settings in seven people with advanced PD who had undergone DBS. All had DBS devices implanted on both sides of the brain in an area called the subthalamic nucleus (STN). In addition, study participants all had “freezing” episodes that did not respond to medication or to DBS at the typical setting, 130 Hz. Participants’ average age was 64 years, they had lived with PD on average for 13 years, and six of them were men. At the beginning of the study, while participants took their usual PD medication, the researchers tested a range of PD symptoms at three DBS settings: 1) 130 Hz; 2) 60 Hz; or 3) off. For the next eight weeks, participants kept their DBS stimulators at the setting at which they experienced the least “freezing.” Then all tests were repeated.

Results

Freezing of gait was significantly improved with DBS at 60 Hz.
On questionnaires, study participants reported an 80 percent improvement in their ability to swallow with DBS at 60 Hz compared to 130 Hz.
As viewed on a swallowing test (modified barium swallow study), DBS at 60 Hz reduced the frequency of aspiration (breathing in liquid when swallowing) by 57 percent compared to DBS at 130 Hz.
For one participant, resting hand tremor worsened with DBS at 60 Hz; this participant returned to 130 Hz DBS after three weeks.
These improvements lasted as long as DBS was set at 60 Hz.

What Does It Mean?

This study identifies a potentially simple way to reduce life-threatening risks of PD in a subset of people with advanced PD who have undergone DBS. Making swallowing easier for people with PD is important because breathing food or liquid into the airways can lead to pneumonia. Lessening “freezing” episodes is also critical, because freezing can increase a person’s risk of falls.

There are many parameters that can be adjusted when programming a person’s DBS stimulator, such as voltage intensity and stimulation frequency. Standard practice has been to use a high frequency stimulation, such as 130 Hz, when adjusting DBS settings because this is the frequency studies have shown best controls movement symptoms including tremor, stiffness and slowness.

Although the study was carried out in a randomized, manner – the most rigorous type of clinical study, the number of participants was small and the duration of the study was only several weeks, therefore one should be cautious in interpreting these results. For instance, more research is needed to determine whether lowering DBS helps swallowing in people who do not experience “freezing” and whether the benefit can last over a long term. Also, the authors note that people who have DBS to manage their tremors may not be able to reduce their stimulation level without the tremor worsening. Nevertheless, by exploring a greater range of DBS stimulation parameters, these investigators may be able to help pave

the way to a reduction in the number of complications that people experience with advanced PD and DBS. Lastly, the study highlights an active area of basic research on novel brain circuits. Intervening on these circuits may help treat symptoms that have been beyond the reach of current therapeutic modalities.

Reference: Xie, T., Vigil, J., MacCracken, E., Gasparaitis, A., Young, J., Kang, W., Bernard, J, Warnke, P., Kang, U.J. (2014). Low-frequency stimulation of STN-DBS reduces aspiration and freezing of gait in patients with PD. Neurology. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000001184

http://www.pdf.org/en/science_news/release/pr_1423853249