Deep Brain Stimulation
Brain implant that works better than medication brings hope to thousands of Parkinson 's sufferers Deep brain stimulation using an electrical implant works better than drugs alone in earlier stages of disease Quality of life can improve by up to 26 per cent after op Speech and walking improved by average of 30 per cent A new highly accurate form of brain surgery could bring hope to thousands of Parkinson 's sufferers.
A two-year trial shows deep brain stimulation using an electrical implant works better than drugs alone at a much earlier stage in the disease than previously found.
There was a 26 per cent improvement in the quality of life for patients after surgery, compared with no improvement for those on drugs alone. …show more content…
They were randomly assigned to receive either neurostimulation plus medical therapy (124 people), or medical therapy only (127 people).
The neurostimulation group underwent surgery to have electrodes implanted into certain parts of the brain and were fitted with a neurostimulator that was connected to the electrodes.
The electrical implant generated small electrical signals to stimulate the brain and was controlled by a handheld device. These electrical signals block abnormal nerve signals, which are thought to trigger the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.
Medical therapy involved standard drug therapy for Parkinson’s disease. All patients were then assessed at five months, one year and two years.
The primary outcome of the trial was disease-related quality of life at two years, which was assessed using the Parkinson’s disease questionnaire (PDQ-39). The PDQ-39 is essentially a scoring system that assesses the extent that the disease has impacted a person’s quality of life. Scores in the questionnaire ranged from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating worse function.
Other outcomes measured were: parkinsonian motor disability activities of daily living …show more content…
Researchers found that quality of life improved significantly by 26% among patients who received brain stimulation and medical therapy, compared with a decline of 1% in quality of life among participants who only received medication.
While these are very impressive results, we need to bear in mind that this was a small study. The findings need to be replicated in larger studies before we can say that this type of treatment is safe and effective.
Earlier trials had successfully tested the procedure on patients with advanced disease, after 12 years.
Gunther Deushcl, Professor of Neurology at Christian-Albrechts University in Kiel, and lead investigator of the study for Germany, said: ‘These results signal a shift in the way patients with Parkinson’s disease can be treated. 'They prove that deep brain stimulation therapy can improve patients’ quality of life even in the earlier stages of Parkinson’s disease, when clinicians traditionally rely solely on drugs.’
About 10,000 people are newly diagnosed with Parkinson’s each year, and 125,000 are living with the disease at any
A two-year trial shows deep brain stimulation using an electrical implant works better than drugs alone at a much earlier stage in the disease than previously found.
There was a 26 per cent improvement in the quality of life for patients after surgery, compared with no improvement for those on drugs alone. …show more content…
They were randomly assigned to receive either neurostimulation plus medical therapy (124 people), or medical therapy only (127 people).
The neurostimulation group underwent surgery to have electrodes implanted into certain parts of the brain and were fitted with a neurostimulator that was connected to the electrodes.
The electrical implant generated small electrical signals to stimulate the brain and was controlled by a handheld device. These electrical signals block abnormal nerve signals, which are thought to trigger the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.
Medical therapy involved standard drug therapy for Parkinson’s disease. All patients were then assessed at five months, one year and two years.
The primary outcome of the trial was disease-related quality of life at two years, which was assessed using the Parkinson’s disease questionnaire (PDQ-39). The PDQ-39 is essentially a scoring system that assesses the extent that the disease has impacted a person’s quality of life. Scores in the questionnaire ranged from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating worse function.
Other outcomes measured were: parkinsonian motor disability activities of daily living …show more content…
Researchers found that quality of life improved significantly by 26% among patients who received brain stimulation and medical therapy, compared with a decline of 1% in quality of life among participants who only received medication.
While these are very impressive results, we need to bear in mind that this was a small study. The findings need to be replicated in larger studies before we can say that this type of treatment is safe and effective.
Earlier trials had successfully tested the procedure on patients with advanced disease, after 12 years.
Gunther Deushcl, Professor of Neurology at Christian-Albrechts University in Kiel, and lead investigator of the study for Germany, said: ‘These results signal a shift in the way patients with Parkinson’s disease can be treated. 'They prove that deep brain stimulation therapy can improve patients’ quality of life even in the earlier stages of Parkinson’s disease, when clinicians traditionally rely solely on drugs.’
About 10,000 people are newly diagnosed with Parkinson’s each year, and 125,000 are living with the disease at any