- New research indicates that deep brain stimulation is effective in the long term for people with advanced Parkinson’s disease.
- Deep brain stimulation has proven to be an effective therapy for Parkinson’s disease, but its long-term efficacy compared to medications had been previously unknown.
- There’s no known cure for Parkinson’s, but research is ongoing.
New research out of Germany shows that deep brain stimulation could have a positive impact on the quality of life for people with advanced Parkinson’s disease.
Researchers from the University of Cologne compared two groups of people with Parkinson’s disease: one treated via deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus and one treated with standard-of-care medication.
After a 5-year follow-up period, researchers reported that the quality of life remained stable in the group treated with deep brain stimulation while the quality of life declined in the group that had received standard-of-care medication.
The findings were
Two experts interviewed by Medical News Today say the research is further proof that deep brain stimulation is an effective therapy for people who’ve been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
Some symptoms of Parkinson’s disease manifest in different parts of the body. However, motor symptoms originate in the brain, when nerve cells in the midbrain die off.
“We know that the disease affects dopaminergic neurons in the brain, so brain cells that make dopamine are slowly degenerating,” explained Dr. David Charles, a professor and vice chair of neurology and the medical director of Vanderbilt Telehealth at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Tennessee.
“As for the cause of that degeneration, there are lots of theories out there, but the cause of typical Parkinson’s disease remains a mystery,” said Charles, who was not involved in the study.
Even though there’s no conclusive understanding of the causes of Parkinson’s disease,…
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