Our Parkinson's Place: Study shows stimulation of the ear can help manage Parkinson's symptoms

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!

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Study shows stimulation of the ear can help manage Parkinson's symptoms

By Martin Herrema, University of Kent

A new study led by the University has shown that gentle, controlled stimulation of the ear canal can help reduce symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

The randomized, controlled study showed that twice-daily stimulation for two months was associated with a significant reduction in both motor and non-motor features of Parkinson's disease.

Participants reported greater movement and mobility, and showed improvements in decision-making, attention, memory, mood, and sleep. Participants also said that by the end of the study, they found it easier to perform everyday activities by themselves.

Most of the therapeutic gains were greatest five weeks after the end of treatment, suggesting that the treatment may have long-lasting effects.

The stimulation therapy was performed at home using a portable headset produced exclusively for clinical investigations by Scion Neurostim, a US-based device company. Participants continued to take their regular dopamine replacement therapy while using the device.

The study, led by Professor David Wilkinson at Kent's School of Psychology, was conducted on 46 individuals with Parkinson's disease. The research was supported by Dr. Mohamed Sakel, Director of the East Kent NHS Neuro-rehabilitation Service and Dr. Mayur Bodani, consultant neuropsychiatrist, Kent & Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust. Additional help with participant recruitment was given by the national charity Parkinson's UK.

Professor Wilkinson said: "This study raises the intriguing possibility that some aspects of Parkinson's disease may be better managed if traditional drug therapies are combined with gentle, non-invasive stimulation of the balance organs."

Dr. Beckie Port, Research Manager at Parkinson's UK, said: "The results from this small-scale study are very exciting. While more research is needed to better understand how delivering this kind of non-invasive stimulation to the nerve in the ear works, it holds a lot of promise to relieve troublesome symptoms that many with Parkinson's experience."

Professor Ray Chaudhuri, Director of the National Parkinson Foundation Centre of Excellence at King's College Hospital, said: "The results are very encouraging. Achieving both widespread efficacy and durable gains in motor and specifically non-motor aspects of Parkinson's disease would be quite novel, and improvements in non-motor symptoms would be especially notable.

"Those symptoms are often untreated or poorly treated and have a particularly detrimental impact on quality of life, and their treatment is a key unmet need. I am intrigued and want to see where this device technology might go."

The results build on other work conducted by Professor Wilkinson's research group at Kent's School of Psychology, which has shown that gentle stimulation of the inner ear can also improve neurological symptoms associated with stroke and traumatic brain injury.

The study, titled "Caloric vestibular stimulation for the management of motor and non-motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease," is published in the journal Parkinsonism and Related Disorders.

More information: David Wilkinson et al. Caloric vestibular stimulation for the management of motor and non-motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease, Parkinsonism & Related Disorders (2019). DOI: 10.1016/j.parkreldis.2019.05.031

Journal information: Parkinsonism and Related Disorders

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-07-ear-parkinson-symptoms.html