People with advanced Parkinson's disease often struggle to walk more than a few steps or sleep through the night, but new research offers hope of relief.
The disease erodes motor functions and in its later stages often confines patients to a bed or wheelchair.
This is due to a condition called orthostatic hypotension, which occurs when a person stands up and their blood pressure drops.
Parkinson's sufferers have disrupted the brain's blood flow Regulator in the brain which normally ensures sufficient blood flows to the brain when we stand up
A French study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that a spinal cord implant could help Parkinson's patients get back on their feet.
Three people who had been paralyzed were able to walk again thanks to the implant.
The latest research tested a similar implant on a 48-year-old woman.
While the woman did not have Parkinson's, she had the same symptoms that were initially diagnosed with the disease.
The brain sends electrical impulses to muscles, and the implant mimics that.
The patient takes her first steps. The EPFL.
It stimulates the brain that senses the need to send more blood when people stand upright.
The woman fainted after taking a few steps.
She was able to walk more than 250 meters with the help of a walking frame three months after the surgery.
She is not cured, she would not run a marathon, but the surgery has improved her quality of life.
Further research is needed involving Parkinson's patients.
It is not certain if the form of orthostatic hypotension seen in Parkinson's patients can be fixed by stimulating the implant targets.
Insomnia is one of the most common problems of Parkinson's sufferers, with more than 75% of them having sleep-related symptoms.
Sleep can be affected by shaking which wakes patients up, and a lack of dopamine in people with Parkinson's is a factor.
The medication apomorphine can be used to replace dopamine, which can cause symptoms such as shaking and rigidity.
The drug can cause dopamine to spike and then drop, leading to muscle spasms.
A device similar to aninsulin pump that delivers continuous apomorphine throughout the night could solve the problem, according to a study.
The new study looked at how the pump helped with sleep, even though previous research indicated that it would help with Parkinson's.
The study found that those who used the pump had better sleep than those who did not.
The constraints associated with wearing a small pump are lower during the night compared to the day, according to Flamand-Roze.
The study had a small sample size and focused on people at an already advanced stage of Parkinson's.
Agence France-Presse
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