Saturday, December 5, 2015
Study: Exercise Can Help Parkinson's Patients with Memory and Retention
Updated: 12/04/2015 5:33 PM
Created: 12/04/2015 5:18 PM KSTP.com
Created: 12/04/2015 5:18 PM KSTP.com
Katherine Johnson
The first step is always the hardest.
For John Stella, stepping into a new study at Regions Hospital to measure his memory was a no-brainer.
"Family saw things that I didn't even know I had," Stella said.
Two years ago, John's wife, Monica, started seeing some changes in her husband.
"I started noticing a little bit of the tremor, that was the first," she said. "Then I noticed he was walking different."
Eventually, John was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
A progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects movement. Researchers say they've recently learned it also affects the brain.
"Sometimes, my wife will ask me questions, it will take me time to process, so I know that processing is affected," John said.
"We see a little bit of slower thinking sometimes," Dr. Julia Johnson, a neurologist with HealthPartners and the Clinical Director of the Health Partners Parkinson's Center, said.
Last year, Johnson launched a study to learn whether exercise has an affect on memory loss and cognitive thinking in Parkinson's patients.
Stella is one of 22 patients who participated in activities as simple as breaking a sweat on the treadmill for 50 minutes, three times a week for three months.
Their cognitive abilities were tested and screened both before and after the workouts.
"We saw an improvement in quality of life after the study, we saw an improvement in activity level in general so people are more motivated to do things, which is really exciting, and we also confirmed that Parkinson's symptoms improved," Dr. Johnson said.
"I'm very hopeful," Monica Stella said. "More in love because of what he does. He's motivated. He's doing it."
The couple now walks together for at least an hour almost every day.
"I could see that there was improvement," John said. "I could do more, remember more, do it better."
He'll continue managing his diagnosis one step at a time.
"I just want to do what I can to improve and make it better," he said.
Dr. Johnson is now applying for more funding with hopes of expanding the study to more patients to increase data and better prove her results. Her ultimate goal is to help as many people put off the symptoms of Parkinson's for as long as possible.
http://kstp.com/news/stories/s3982507.shtml?cat=1
The Medical Minute: With Parkinson’s Disease, Countering Symptoms is Key
December 5, 2015 in Health News
Parkinson’s disease isn’t the kind of affliction that will kill most people. Instead, it creeps up slowly and progressively destroys the quality of life of those who develop it.
A disease of the nervous system, Parkinson’s is typically diagnosed by symptoms such as tremors and slow, stiff muscle movements. “Most people don’t actually have symptoms until about 50 to 80 percent of the neurons in their brain have died,” said Dr. James McInerney, director of stereotactic and functional neurosurgery atPenn State Hershey Medical Center.
Research on Parkinson’s has found that the neurons are dying for a reason, so replacing dying cells with stem cells tends not to work – the new cells come under attack just as the old ones did.
“The fact that we understand that is an advance,” McInerney said. “What we have to figure out is what is attacking them and making them die. We don’t have a good way of making cells grow in the brain.”
In the beginning stages of the disease, many patients do well with medications that either mimic or help the body produce dopamine, the neurotransmitter that dies with the disease. As the disease progresses, it can become difficult to complete daily tasks of living such as getting out of bed, dressing, eating and moving about safely.
Those with Parkinson’s also frequently suffer from nonmotor symptoms such as sleep disturbances, gastrointestinal problems, cognitive difficulties and clinical depression. “All of that makes it difficult for them to do the things they want to do,” McInerney said.
A treatment called deep brain stimulation, or DBS, has been used for more than a decade at Penn State Hershey to help Parkinson’s patients control their muscular symptoms.
McInerney said the idea for DBS grew out of original surgical procedures in which doctors would purposely create lesions in the brain to stop tremors. Medical professionals stopped performing the procedure when medications were developed that worked better than surgically destroying parts of the brain to control symptoms.
DBS uses an electrical current to mimic the damage surgeons used to purposefully create – but without actually destroying anything. Once implanted, doctors can control the stimulator with an external device that adjusts voltage, amplitude, frequency and location of stimulation. “We can turn it up, so if someone’s symptoms worsen, we can respond to that,” McInerney said.
While DBS is not the first line of treatment for Parkinson’s, once begun, patients no longer need to rely solely on medications. “It works better because it is on all the time and it doesn’t cycle on and off the way medications do,” McInerney said. “And it typically doesn’t produce side effects.”
DBS has also proven effective for treating other disorders. It is FDA approved for use with essential tremors, dystonia (abnormal muscle contractions) and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Outside the United States, it is used as a tool for controlling seizures, obesity, addiction, pain and depression.
Doctors have also found that patients with Parkinson’s disease often develop clinical depression that requires treatment with antidepressants. Once the depression is treated, the motor symptoms tend to improve. “It’s not clear why the disease manifests itself with a mood disturbance,” McInerney said. “But it is absolutely linked.”
That’s why he encourages his patients to pay attention to all of their symptoms and seek out treatment for each. “We want to give them a one-stop shop because if you don’t, you’re not taking care of the whole person,” he said. “You have to look for these other symptoms and know they are going on.”
http://gantdaily.com/2015/12/05/the-medical-minute-with-parkinsons-disease-countering-symptoms-is-key/
Friday, December 4, 2015
Driven by Increasing Incidence of Parkinson's Disease, Global Deep...
Dec. 4, 2015
http://www.topix.com/health/parkinsons-disease/2015/12/driven-by-increasing-incidence-of-parkinsons-disease-global-deep
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The high incidence of neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, ischemic stroke, trauma, essential tremors, and particularly Parkinson's disease is the primary factor boosting the global market for deep brain stimulation devices. In the last couple of years, Parkinson's disease has emerged as one of the most common and progressive neurological disorders, characterized by tremors due to loss of dopamine-producing neurons, postural instability, akinesia, and bradykinesia.
http://www.topix.com/health/parkinsons-disease/2015/12/driven-by-increasing-incidence-of-parkinsons-disease-global-deep
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Driven by Increasing Incidence of Parkinson's Disease, Global Deep Brain Stimulation Devices Market Poised to Reach US$9.4 Bn in 2019
Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/04/2015 --
The high incidence of neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, ischemic stroke, trauma, essential tremors, and particularly Parkinson's disease (PD) is the primary factor boosting the global market for deep brain stimulation devices. In the last couple of years, Parkinson's disease has emerged as one of the most common and progressive neurological disorders, characterized by tremors due to loss of dopamine-producing neurons, postural instability, akinesia, and bradykinesia. According to reports, Parkinson's disease is becoming increasingly prevalent in the U.S. The disease is slightly more common in men, but the prevalence of the disease among the female population also seems to be on the rise in recent years. Whilst a therapeutic approach ensuring complete cure of the disease is yet to be discovered, science has made some major improvements in slowing its impact on patients over time.
What is Deep Brain Stimulation and How Does It Help Treat Patients with Neurological Disorders?
Deep brain stimulation, also known as DBS, is a surgical procedure in which a pacemaker-like device is implanted to send signals to the brain areas that are responsible for body movement. In the surgical process, electrodes are placed at a remote brain location. These are then connected to a stimulator or battery device. A neurostimulator is also placed in the setup, which uses the electric pulses sent by electrodes to regulate brain activities. DBS has achieved much significance in the healthcare industry in the last few years, due to its ability to reduce symptoms such as slowness of movement, tremors, walking problems, and stiffness, which are common in people suffering from movement disorders. Deep brain stimulation has therefore emerged as a viable option for patients suffering from any type of movement disorder, such as Parkinson's disease or dystonia. A successful DBS procedure allows patients to better manage the symptoms, effectively bring down their medication, and improve the overall quality of their life.
In a recently published market report, Transparency Market Research has forecast that the global deep brain stimulation (DBS) devices market will exhibit a robust CAGR of 11% from 2013 to 2019. If the forecast holds true, the global DBS market, which stood at US$4.5 bn in 2012, will reach US$9.4 bn in 2019.
http://www.sbwire.com/press-releases/deep-brain-stimulation-devices/release-646476.htm
Parkinson’s Might Be Detected Early Using Visual Profiling
York researchers find diseased fruit flies show increased visual activity
BY
BY
York University researchers have reported a new method of visual profiling that could help in the early detection of Parkinson’s disease. The study, titled “Classification of Parkinson’s Disease Genotypes in Drosophila Using Spatiotemporal Profiling of Vision,” was published in Scientific Reports.
Parkinson’s is a disorder that affects motor neurons, resulting in difficulties with movement like rigidity, slowness, and shaking. As no laboratory test exists that can clearly identify the disease, its diagnostic relies mainly on medical history and neurological exams performed after motor symptoms emerge. Hence, an early diagnostic of Parkinson’s would be of benefit.
In this study, the researchers examined the nervous systems of fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) that carry Parkinson’s mutations by registering their reactions to visual patterns adapted from methods used by people. The outcomes from mutated flies with early onset Parkinson’s were compared with control flies without mutations.
The results suggested that young mutated flies showed increased neuronal activity to stimulation. By mapping the visual reactions of flies with different Parkinson’s genes, the scientists built large data banks of results that then allowed them to detect Parkinson mutations in unknown flies with 85% accuracy. Because more complex light stimulations were utilized, large numbers of genetic markers were recorded.
“Increased visual activity in young fruit flies with early-onset Parkinson’s mutations is a significant finding, as it may provide an early-onset biomarker for people at risk of Parkinson’s. Using 64 different combinations of visual stimuli, we now have a comprehensive bank of the reactions of fruit flies carrying different genetic mutations. We can see that fruit flies carrying different mutations have distinct patterns of visual responses, suggesting this is a reliable method in classifying Parkinson’s genotypes,” Dr. Ryan West, the study’s lead author and a postdoctoral research scientist in York’s Department of Biology, in the U.K., said in a news release.
Overall, these findings suggest the possibility of Parkinson’s early detection, before the emergence of motor symptoms, using changes in visual profiling. Visual profiling, the researchers noted, has previously demonstrated its accuracy in detecting genetic markers in humans. “We hope this method may be translatable to the clinic where changes in vision may provide an early indication of early-onset Parkinson’s,” Dr West added. “Such early detection is essential if we are to understand disease progression and develop novel therapeutics.”
http://parkinsonsnewstoday.com/2015/12/04/york-research-points-to-enhanced-detection-of-parkinsons/
Thursday, December 3, 2015
Beauty in the brains: Cambridge scientists win Parkinson's UK award for images of their work
December 03, 2015
But as these stunning images, captured by Cambridge scientists working on the battle against Parkinson's, reveal, beauty can still be found in the unlikeliest of places.
The Parkinson's UK charity, which funds cutting-edge research at Cambridge's Stem Cell Institute, issued the challenge to scientists to submit their most impressive images, for its Picturing Parkinson's competition.
It was won by researcher Philipp Berg for his image Supernova, which shows how he uses stem cells to create a basic brain cell, used to communicate with other parts of the body.
He was also shortlisted in the contest for Neurons Blooming in Nature, which demonstrates his work on proteins.
He said: "To have won this prestigious award is exciting and helps Parkinson's research reach people in a new, engaging and different way.
"After long nights in the lab, it's rewarding to be able to look down the microscope to see such amazing colours and images."
Also shortlisted for the contest was PhD student Lucy Collins, a fellow researcher based at the institute, part of the Wellcome Trust Medical Research Council.
Her image, Tendrils, shows a single brain cell which was transformed into a Parkinson's cell, a crucial process in the development of new treatments.
The annual competition is held in memory of Oxford geneticist Dr Jonathan Stevens, who had Parkinson's and died in 2013 aged 34.
His blog, detailing his experiences of living with the degenerative condition, which cause tremors, slowness of movement and rigidity, was read by thousands around the world.
There are 127,000 people living with Parkinson's in the UK, and there is currently no cure.
Locked away in labs poring over pipettes and petri dishes, medical research may not seem like the most artistic of professions
Supernova
Philipp Berg
 |
| Stem cells allow us to investigate the genetics involved in Parkinson's. Stem cells from a person with Parkinson's can be turned into a basic brain cell – these cells (with a little time) can produce millions of densely connected adult brain cells. We can see the cell bodies (in blue) and the long tendril like processes, which the cells use to reach out and communicate with other parts of the brain, (in red and green).
.
|
Neurons Blooming in Nature
 |
These human brain cells (seen here in red) have been made from stem cells. They allow us to study the function and dysfunction of proteins involved in Parkinson's (seen in green). This image shows the proteins gathered at the sites of brain cell communication – the synapses.
Tendrils
Lucy Collins
|
 |
| In the middle of this image is a single brain cell. This cell was originally a skin cell and has been turned into the type of brain cell that is affected in Parkinson's. These brain cells have tendril-like processes, which allow the cell to communicate with the rest of the brain. Making these cells is difficult, but they allow for testing of personalised drugs.
http://health.einnews.com/article/299972657/L8FLu2GwC9Qa7w_M
|
Ocean Isle Beach woman hasn't let Parkinson's disease slow her down
NEW BOOK
 |
| Nancy Whitfield's “Broken Places" memoir was released in July. Matt Born/StarNews |
Nancy Whitfield hasn't let Parkinson's disease slow her down
By
Ben Steelman
StarNews
Staff
Published:
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
NC-Wilmington
-
OCEAN
ISLE BEACH -- It all started eight years ago.
"First,
I lost my sense of smell," said Nancy Whitfield, who now lives in Ocean
Isle Beach.
Whitfield,
who had a busy job at the time, thought little about it until a couple of
months later when she and her husband, Rick, took off for a wedding in Florida.
She loved dancing and couldn't wait to get out on the floor at the reception.
Then,
"all of a sudden, my legs wouldn't move," Whitfield said.
Back
home, she did a Google search of the symptoms. Before her doctor could give her
the news, she thought, "Parkinson's disease."
A
disorder of the nervous system, Parkinson's affects the muscles' ability to
move. Its most common symptom is a tremor in the hands. "But it settles on
different parts of the body," Whitfield said. In her case, it affects her
legs.
Whitfield,
however, hasn't let the disease slow her down. Since moving to Ocean Isle in
2010 -- when Rick became vice chancellor for business affairs at the University
of North Carolina Wilmington -- she's worked on her memoir, "Broken
Places." Published this summer, the book is available from Amazon.com and
the Barnes & Noble website.
Her
Parkinson's diagnosis only shows up near the end of the book. "It's only
one chapter in my life," she said.
The
title comes from one of Whitfield's favorite quotes, from Ernest Hemingway's
"A Farewell to Arms": "The world breaks everyone, and afterward
many are strong in the broken places."
"Broken
Places" tells a story of success against the odds. Whitfield grew up poor
in Clarksville, Tenn. Her parents, who married during World War II, divorced
when she was little. Whitfield would not learn the story of their breakup until
years later, and she would not see her father again until she was 26 years old,
and expecting her only daughter.
Young
Nancy was often a lonely child; her mother, who supported her three children as
a secretary and with the income from a couple of rentals, was often tired and
distracted. Nancy grew up thinking she blamed her for her father's leaving.
In
high school, she went through a wild phase, which was muted by meeting Rick,
the nice boy who would become her husband. She earned a Civitan scholarship to
Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, taught school for many years, then
followed Rick through his career as a financial administrator at increasingly
large universities.
In
Philadelphia, she worked in the admissions office at the University of
Pennsylvania. In North York, she found her dream job as assistant general
secretary for UMCOR, the United Methodist Church's disaster relief and
humanitarian aid agency. As such, she helped oversee UMCOR's response to Hurricane
Katrina on the Gulf Coast.
"Whatever
people needed to get back on their feet, that was our job," she said.
She
was still in New York when the Parkinson's became apparent. Patients might have
the condition for years without noticing any effects, Whitfield said.
After
months of frustration and unsatisfactory treatments, a friend referred her to
specialists at Columbia University Medical Center, which was at the forefront
of Parkinson's research. On her first appointment, a doctor stared, alarmed, at
her chart and said, "There are enough narcotics in you to put a horse to sleep."
The
Columbia specialists put her on Sinemet, which helps restore the chemical
dopamine in the brain. The trouble, Whitfield noted, is that all Parkinson's
drugs seem to become less effective the longer a patient takes them.
"You
just keep hanging in there," Whitfield said. "With Parkinson's,
you're always savoring the time that you have left. A sense of humor
helps."
So,
in February, she and Rick traveled to California so she could undergo deep
brain stimulation -- the same surgery that actor Michael J. Fox had. (Whitfield
has pledged profits from "Broken Places" to the Michael J. Fox
Foundation for Parkinson's Research.)
She
was awake during the entire six-hour procedure, as surgeons at Stanford
University placed electrodes in her brain. These provide electrical
stimulation, somewhat like a pacemaker, to disrupt brain signals related to
Parkinson's. Afterward, they had an extended stay as the electrical pulses were
adjusted.
Now,
she's home again. "Parkinson's is such a nasty disease," she said.
"You change from day to day." For now, however, she's enjoying her
friends, her church and long walks on the beach with her grandson.
http://health.einnews.com/article/299754066/BUNfFb1hTRu4DkkW
http://health.einnews.com/article/299754066/BUNfFb1hTRu4DkkW
The Corner Boxing and Salvation Army/Red Shield offer Parkinson's sufferers help
 |
| The Corner Boxing Club and Salvation Army/Red Shield, offer Parkinson's sufferers an alternative |
Nearly one million Americans are affected by Parkinson's disease, for which there is no cure, but there is a new program using boxing techniques to counter punch the neurological disorder. The Corner Boxing Club, owned and operated by Kirsten S. Barry and Carrie Barry, is located at 5500 Central Ave. #115, in Boulder, and began offering 'Parkinson’s Power Punch Program' classes November 7, conducted every Saturday morning from 8-9:15AM. Carrie Barry is a numerous times Golden Gloves, PAL, USA Boxing National Champion as well as a Level 3 USA Boxing Coach and Fellow of Applied Functional Science (AFS). The Corner Boxing Club’s Parkinson’s Power Punch Program is set in a comfortable environment where participants are positively encouraged to participate both physically and socially.
Strenuous exercise has been proven to help regain physical attributes lost due to the deterioration from Parkinson’s disease but the boxing regimen is more than your average work-out routine, it has recent physical therapy research advising boxing to be effective in improving balance, mobility and quality of life for their participants.
Credited with starting the 'Boxing for Parkinson’s' movement is former Marion, Indiana, County Prosecutor, Scott C. Newman, who was himself diagnosed with Parkinson’s at the age of 41 and started his own high intensity workout program that he felt gave him better overall health. In 2006, Newman founded Rock Steady Boxing, at the time the only boxing program in the USA aimed directly at people with Parkinson's disease. Newman began with a small gym and boxing ring, hiring former world champion professional boxer Kristy Follmar to help build Rock Steady's program during its early stages. Today, Follmar is the Head Trainer at Rock Steady Boxing, located in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The Corner Boxing Club offers boxing training for Parkinson's sufferers, incorporating workouts with lots of fun. It’s also a way of forming friendships with other’s suffering from the effects of the disease who totally understand what it’s like to have to live with Parkinson's. Kirsten and Carrie Barry hope to reach as many of the individuals dealing with Parkinson's in their Boulder and surrounding communities as possible who need help with coordination, agility, balance, strength, daily function and overall physical health. The training classes (all non-contact) focus on attacking Parkinson's at its most vulnerable neurological points with concentration on overall fitness a goal as well. The routine consists of calisthenics, core work, focus mitts, heavy bag, jump rope, ring work, speed bags and circuit weight training. Boxing training moves the human body in all planes of motion, movements are unpredictable and routines are forever changing as you progress through the workout. Studies have proven that these type classes help reduce symptoms and improve quality of life and overall health of Parkinson’s patients.
'Power Punch for Parkinson's' classes are conducted at the Salvation Army/Red Shield Boxing Gym, 2915 High Street in Denver, led by former Colorado Golden Gloves boxer, Anthony Mora. The Red Shield Gym is home of the Cox/Lyle Boxing program, dedicated to the late Greg Cox and his hero, the late Ron Lyle, supported by the late Bob Cox. The program is now run by former Colorado boxing star, Tito Tovar. The Power Punch for Parkinson’s classes offered at Salvation Army/Red Shield are conducted Wednesday’s beginning at 10AM and Saturday’s beginning at 9:15AM. Providing that strenuous, non-contact boxing workout has shown to be effective in not only building strength and confidence but in some cases, has lowered medication intake.
PAR (Parkinson Association of the Rockies), since its formation in 1981, has been a valuable resource to the Colorado community, providing direct care services including support groups, in-home case assessment and an information hotline to individuals living with Parkinson’s, their families and care partners, as well as the general community. There are an estimated 17,000 individuals in the Rocky Mountain community living with Parkinson’s disease and The Parkinson Association of the Rockies aims to serve each of these individuals in a meaningful way.
For further information on The Corner Boxing Club and their 'Parkinson’s Power Punch Program', call 303-954-9005 and ask for Kirsten or Carrie Barry. For more information on the Salvation Army/Red Shield 'Power Punch for Parkinson’s' classes, contact Anthony Mora at 303-295-2107.
http://www.examiner.com/article/the-corner-boxing-and-salvation-army-red-shield-offer-parkinson-s-sufferers-help
Protecting the brain from Parkinson's disease
Published: Researchers help the brain make GM1 ganglioside, a protective substance that is diminished in the brains of Parkinson's patients.
Although a number of treatments exist to alleviate the symptoms of Parkinson's disease, to date, none reliably slow the progression of the disease. In 2013, a molecule called GM1 ganglioside showed promise in patients for not only relieving symptoms but also slowing disease progression. However, GM1 ganglioside has been difficult to make and to deliver to patients for regular use. Now, researchers at Thomas Jefferson University have demonstrated a way to help the brain of mice produce more of its own GM1 ganglioside in a study published December 2nd in the open access journal PLOS ONE.
"GM1 ganglioside has shown great promise in Parkinson's patients," says lead author Jay Schneider, Ph.D., Professor in the Department of Pathology, Anatomy and Cell Biology at the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University. "However, considering the difficulties with the manufacture of GM1 and its delivery to the brain, we wanted to see if we could coax the brain to make more of its own GM1."
GM1 ganglioside is normally made by nerve cells in the brain, but the substance is made at much lower levels in patients with Parkinson's and other neurodegenerative diseases. Although earlier work showed that patients who were administered GM1 ganglioside showed improvement in symptoms and progression, the current industry standard for obtaining GM1 ganglioside is to extract the substance from cow brains, which presents a number of manufacturing and potential safety concerns. Also, the substance cannot be readily made synthetically. "We were thinking, 'there's got to be a way around this,'" says Dr. Schneider, "instead of putting more GM1 into the brain, why not try to get the brain to make more of it."
Through a search of existing literature, Dr. Schneider and colleagues found that an enzyme called sialidase was capable of converting other naturally occurring ganglioside molecules in the brain into GM1 ganglioside. They tested their idea in a mouse model of Parkinson's disease. After the researchers inserted a pump that continually injected the sialidase into the mouse brain, the researchers then simulated the onset of Parkinson's. In this mouse Parkinson's model, Dr. Schneider and colleagues saw neuronal protection at similar levels to those seen in mice injected directly with GM1 ganglioside.
"We were very excited to see that this could work in the mouse model," says Dr. Schneider. "As long-term delivery of sialidase enzymes to the brain would require implantation of a pump system, which might not be optimal, we are currently working on alternative gene therapy approaches to enhance GM1 levels in the brain," he added.
Creating better ways of enhancing GM1 ganglioside levels in the brain could prove beneficial in a number of diseases in addition to Parkinson's disease, such as in Huntington's disease and Alzheimer's disease. Dr. Schneider is currently investigating novel gene-therapy approaches that could enhance the GM1 ganglioside content of neurons and plans to investigate the neuroprotective potential of these approaches. Provisional patents on these technologies have been filed.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/303486.php