Finally? A long-term treatment for Parkinson’s Disease?

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I’ve written about Parkinson’s Disease often.  (Here, here, and here– for starters.)  My grandfather, Sol Kuchlik (A’H) succumbed to the disorder.  It, therefore, became one of those ailments (besides kidney and respiratory disorders) that attracted my attention over the years.

Parkinson’s is a nervous system disorder- primarily related to the substantia nigra (portion of the brain) that manages our balance and our movements.  I can recall when first I noticed my grandfather’s hands shaking.  (It’s also why I get nervous when I see some of my friends manifest the same symptoms.  Thankfully, in their cases it’s usually related to excessive caffeine consumption; it could also be hypoglycemia, multiple sclerosis, or anxiety.)  And, while it started with my grandfather’s hands, it affected his legs, his speech, and his balance.  And, my grandfather was a very physical person.

It’s known that Parkinson’s can also affect our emotions and cognition.  In my grandfather’s case, that latter effect would have been a blessing.  But, he was of sharp mind to the end- and felt imprisoned in his body, failing to communicate his thoughts, his emotions and his desires to his loved ones and friends.

The disease is called Parkinson’s, because like many such epynomous maladies, Dr. James Parkinson’s first observed patients in London who moved differently from the rest of the citizens.  By 1817, he had described their tremors, rigidity, slow movements, and stooped gaits in his paper, “Essay on Shaking Palsy”.   But, nothing really developed for the treatment of this syndrome for a century and a half.

My grandfather was one of the very first people to get portions of his brain frozen (via liquid nitrogen).  The hope was by freezing those portions seemingly affected by the disease, the degradation of his abilities would stop.  And, they did- for about five years.

Then, he was among the first to undergo L-dopa (dopamine) therapy.  Because the theory, developed by Dr. Arvid Carlsson  in the early 1960’s (he was awarded the Nobel Prize for this finding), was that since it was the dopamine-producing portion of the brain that was affected, by loading the patient with L-dopa, the effects could be overcome.  (It also turns out that the neurons in the substantia nigra are severely depleted, which is why the dopamine concentrations are attenuated.)

The therapy was successful.   For about five years.  (Consider the movie, Awakenings, about the research and work of Dr. Oliver Sacks (A’H), where the patients sprang to life- only to succumb once again.   Just like my grandfather- with a vengeance.)   Even the development of stem-cell therapies that can exude dopamine has not seemed to provide long-term symptom relief.

There are 60,000 new cases a year, with a total census of about 1 million sufferers in the US, with some 7 million around the world.  And, it turns out that there is a genetic component to the disease, not like my cousins’ feared- which meant it skipped generations and we would be prime candidates for the disease.  No, but it is true that about 15% of the patients who develop Parkinson’s seem to have an hereditary component.  The other causes of the disease? Environmental exposures (heroin and pesticides seem to be a few of the triggers) and advancing age.

Because freezing the brain (which clearly reduced the number of neurons that could produce dopamine!) and dopamine therapy have not proved to be long term solutions, research into useful treatments has continued.

Which is just what we’ll discuss tomorrow.

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6 thoughts on “Finally? A long-term treatment for Parkinson’s Disease?”

    1. Cindy:
      Thanks so much for your comment and visit. Yes, it is tough to watch and deal with friends and relatives who developmsymptoms of intractable ailments.
      That’s why the results of the post appearing on Tuesday are so encouraging. There may finally be some lomg-term help.

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