Deep Brain Stimulation May Help in Early Stages of Parkinson's

By Amanda Gardner HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Deep brain stimulation has been used for years to help relieve motor problems in people with advanced Parkinson's. Now, new research finds that the procedure may also help people in earlier stages of the disease.

The treatment involves placing electrodes in specific parts of the brain.

"So far, all studies have dealt with patients who had very severe disease," explained senior study author Dr. Gunther Deuschl, chairman of neurology at University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein in Kiel, Germany. "The present group . . . are well within the spectrum of disease severity which has been treated with medication only. The surprising result was that even at this stage, the patients had a much better outcome after two years than those who were treated with medication alone."

The report is published in the Feb. 14 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Standard treatment for Parkinson's disease, a nervous system disorder marked by tremors and other movement problems, is a drug called L-dopa (Levodopa), which replaces depleted reserves of the neurotransmitter dopamine.

Unfortunately, long-term use of L-dopa can result in severe swings in motor function.

"After years of being on these drugs, patients develop ups and downs so the medication doesn't hold them for very long," said Dr. Carlos Singer, director of the Parkinson's disease and movement disorders division at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. "They're fine for two hours, then they're lousy for two hours, then they take another pill. It's like a yo-yo."

Deep brain stimulation came along in the 1990s and revolutionized treatment for such patients, said Singer, who was not involved with the study.

"By putting electrodes in certain specific areas of the brain and stimulating them continuously, you get them to have a smoother day," he explained.

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Deep Brain Stimulation May Help in Early Stages of Parkinson's