New treatment can slow down, stop, reverse Parkinson's disease



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February 27 (UPI) – The researchers have developed a new drug that could correct brain damage caused by Parkinson's disease and lead to improved symptoms, the researchers reported.

Patients with implants to replace damaged brain cells have shown a 100% improvement in the number of parts of their brain awakened by Parkinson's disease, according to a study published Tuesday in the Journal of Parkinson's Disease .

"The spatial and relative magnitude of improved brain scans is beyond anything that we have seen before in trials of surgically-operated growth factor therapies for the treatment of the disease." Parkinson's, "said Alan L. Whone, a researcher at Bristol University and author of the study. Release. "This is one of the most compelling evidence to date that we could have a way to wake up and restore the dopaminergic brain cells that are progressively being destroyed in Parkinson's disease."

The researchers used robot-assisted neurosurgery to implement a specific delivery system to release the neurotrophic factor derived from the glial cell line in brain cells of patients with Parkinson's disease.

This procedure was performed on six patients in a pilot study to determine the safety of treatment, then another 35 patients were included in a follow-up study in which some GDNF implants were implanted and the others placebos. After an initial nine-month trial, the researchers extended the trial by administering the treatment every four weeks for 18 months.

After already finding differences in the areas of the brain affected by the disease, the researchers indicated that after 18 months of treatment, all participants exhibited a "moderate to significant improvement in symptoms compared to before the start of the disease." Study, "the researchers said.

"I think this approach could be the first neuro-repair treatment for people with Parkinson's disease, which is, of course, an extremely exciting prospect," said Steven Gill, a researcher in the division of neurological sciences and Musculoskeletal Clinic of the North Bristol NHS Trust.

The National Institutes of Health estimate that about 50,000 people are diagnosed with Parkinson's disease each year.

"It is essential to continue research to further explore this treatment – GDNF continues to improve the lives of people with Parkinson's disease," Whone said.

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