Parkinson's patients find hope in computerized advances in brain stimulation therapy

Cu Anschutz patient made a bit of history on Friday as the first person in the nation Parkinson's disease Doctors are calling for something groundbreaking to experience treatment.

The patient's name is Kate. She is 75 years old and has been battling Parkinson's disease, a progressive neurological disorder that affects movement, balance and coordination since 2019. There is no cure for conditions that often cause trembling and language changes. It has impacted nearly 1 million people in the US and an estimated 10 million people around the world.

On Friday at Cu Anschutz, along with reporters and photographers watching, doctors showed how to implant electrical messages controlled by computer programs into the patient's brain to relieve symptoms such as hands and fingers.

Kate said the treatment seemed to help.

“It's been a long time, and I have grandchildren. I really want to see my grandchildren, I want to see them grow, and it gives me hope,” she said. “It helps. It's incredible help.”

This new treatment is one of the results of research conducted by Dr. Drew Kahn and Dr. John Thompsonassociate professor at the Faculty of Medicine at CU School and the Faculty of Physicians at UCHEALTH.

The researchers have been surgically implanted into Kate's brain, and have been activated by program-controlled electrodes on computer pads for the first time outside of the research environment.

Deep brain stimulation has been around for over 30 years and has been used to treat epilepsy. The major advances featured in Cu Anschutz are what the company behind it calls a new system that coordinates “individual brain activity in real time.” Khan said it marked a major advance in the fight against Parkinson's disease.

He showed Kate's ability to do basic motor movements, such as moving his thumb to touch his fingers, turning his wrists, tapping his toes, and walking around the room. The computerized system appeared to improve her motor function as it adapted the electrical messages sent to her brain.

When asked if the breakthrough could help many other people with illness, Kate's partner David Julie said he wanted it.

“For us, it seems very promising. And the results you saw today, and she had a sample experience a week ago, the results were really positive,” Julie said.

As technology evolves, Khan said he hopes it can be tailored to individual patients.

“Is this the most useful when the person is sleeping? Is this the most useful when this person is very active? Does it help most to adjust programming when this person takes the medication?” asked Khan. “We know, we know that publications are coming out. That means improving the amount of 'on-time' and when the person feels better all day. ”

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The team identified biomarkers in the brain that would be used for this treatment. Adaptive brain stimulationpossible. It uses Medtronic technology approved last month by the US Food and Drug Administration to adjust in real time using patients' own brain signals.

This advancement promises to dramatically improve the management of Parkinson's disease symptoms by providing personalized, reactive treatments that may change with each patient's needs.

The researchers said they are pleased to be part of a project that can help thousands of patients with this condition.

“As a fundamental scientist, it's an honor to be part of this process so that we can play a small role in improving the lives of these patients, so it was amazing to be part of the process,” Thompson said.

Courtesy of Cu Anschutz

Kern said adaptive stimulation technology can save patients money by dialing back drug use.

“The cost of Parkinson's disease is very high, and especially if we can improve our lifespan by 50-75% reductions in medication, it is actually cost-effective for individuals and for society,” he said. “You can program individuals who already have this type of system, so your doctor could probably program you in less than an hour.

Necessary for treatment Surgery pair. Deep brain stimulation causes the doctor to plant electrodes in specific locations in the brain. In the second step, they place what is called an implantable pulse generator. This is like a heart pacemaker under the skin, usually beneath the collarbone. Khan showed journalists that Kate had. The device sends messages to the brain that control movement. Computer controls help you manage pulses to the brain and treat exercise problems associated with Parkison.

The researchers said federal funding provided funding for the research through the National Institutes of Health. Now, new federal administrations and Congress are potentially at risk, seeking to cut budgets for national health agencies.