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Growth
factor, when pumped directly into dopamine deficient areas
of the brain, can cause dramatic improvement in patients suffering
from advanced Parkinson's disease, according to researchers
at the Frenchay Hospital in Bristol, England.
In the
small study, neurologists implanted catheters in the brains
of five Parkinson's disease patients. The patients ranged
in age from 46 to 62 years old. The catheters were placed
in the dorsal putamen, the area of the brain that controls
movement and becomes deficient in dopamine.
Two pumps,
placed in the abdomen wall, continuously pumped neurotrophic
factor, needed for the development of dopamine, into the brain.
"We
can deliver a drug very precisely to areas in the brain in
the concentrations that we need to cause recovery, and we
can control that very precisely," said Dr. Steven Gill,
neurosurgeon and co-author of the study.
Preliminary
results showed marked improvement in the symptoms of Parkinson's
disease in all five of the patients, including their ability
to walk. One of the patients regained his sense of smell.
"All
patients were as good in their off state (when symptoms are
at their most severe) as their preoperative on state,"
reported Gill. "In their on state, patients improved
on the united Parkinson's disease rating scale by 44 percent.
In their off state, they improved by 54 percent. This level
of improvement has not been seen with any other treatment
-- it is even better than the best results achieved with cell
transplantation."
Gill was
surprised at the speed of the improvement. "We thought
that this drug would take some months or years to be effective,
but we found that really within a month or two patients were
noticing significant changes."
The results
are preliminary, stressed Gill. Researchers do not know how
long the improvements will last and whether the treatment
is suitable for all Parkinson's disease patients.
Source:
Medical Week staff,
week of May 12, 2002
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