Experimental Parkinsons drug lifted brain fog

A British woman diagnosed with Parkinsons disease almost 20 years ago said a fog lifted in her head after corrective genes were injected into her brain.

Sheila Roy, 66, is one of six people in the world who received the radical treatment, which in her case has allowed her to think clearly and quickly again.

Sheila, from Bedfordshire in England, is a patient of Roger Barker of the University of Cambridge.

The two will share their experience of the experimental drug ProSavin at a international conference in NUI Galway later this week.

The viral gene therapy, manufactured by Oxford BioMedica, is undergoing a 10-year clinical trial for the treatment of Parkinsons disease.

The once-off treatment, which is injected directly into the brain, induces the production of dopamine, a chemical essential for movement control.

Neurodegenerative diseases are currently treated using drugs that neither address the underlying causes of the disease, nor prevent neurodegeneration.

Sheila, who is married, was diagnosed with Parkinsons disease in 1995. She continued to work as a nurse for 10 years until her illness made it impossible for her to continue.

My medication was becoming less effective, she said. I suffered from increased, involuntary movement. My arms and legs would be everywhere and I was slapping myself and anyone who came near me.

Sometimes her body would suddenly freeze and she would become completely immobile for hours.

Continued here:
Experimental Parkinsons drug lifted brain fog