There have been many stories about advancements in Parkinson’s Disease and other movement disorders. The world of science and medicine has made great strides to find new treatment options and therapies. It’s nice to say there has been more news than one person writing part-time can keep up with. It should give anyone hope that, eventually, science and medicine will find cures or treatments for these diseases. While no known promises of a cure for these diseases have been announced, the progress being made should certainly give many hope. These diseases impact millions of people every year, including those involved in medical care and caregiving, whether paid or volunteer.
The developments highlighted over the past year reflect a growing and sustained effort across research institutions, clinical settings, and patient communities to better understand these conditions and improve the lives of those affected. Every day, somewhere in the world, there is someone in a laboratory, someone running tests, performing research, someone fundraising, or someone participating in clinical trials to help find answers to cure these diseases. As you read this, someone right now could just have been diagnosed with a disease with no cure. These stories serve as a reminder that progress is ongoing and that the search for better treatments and ultimately, a cure continues.
A possible cure for Huntington’s disease could be on the horizon. It was big news worldwide when this story broke; all the major networks covered it, including me. Researchers developed a custom gene therapy using a lab-created virus as a carrier and delivered it into the brain of a patient with the disease during a 12-plus-hour surgery. The modified DNA reduces the production of the toxic huntingtin protein by silencing the faulty gene, slowing the progression of the disease by 75% and leading to improvements in movement, thinking, and daily functioning over three years. The research was carried out by University College London and uniQure. Why is this big news? The future of this breakthrough promises hope for treatments and longer lifespans for those with Huntington’s Disease, as the disease itself is fatal.
GLP-1, A disappointment for Parkinson’s treatment: The Phase 3 Exenatide Trials failed to yield GLP-1 as a way to slow down the progression of Parkinson’s disease. In the largest and longest Parkinson’s GLP-1 study, nearly 200 people with Parkinson’s received an injection of exenatide or placebo over about 96 weeks, or nearly two years. The study failed to find any benefit from the drug on motor systems, disease progression, brain imaging, or quality-of-life measures compared with a placebo.
According to an article in Neurology Live, Lixisenatide, another GLP-1 drug, showed some promise in smaller phase 2 research, with indications of slowed motor progression compared with placebo, though the effect was modest and side effects were common. Liraglutide and semaglutide (e.g., weight-loss drugs like Wegovy/Ozempic) have not yet shown disease-modifying effects in Parkinson’s, and early data from related neurological trials (like Alzheimer’s) have also been discouraging.
The Times of India reports that a 65-year-old man from Turkmenistan underwent Deep Brain Stimulation and regained control of his right arm after battling years of tremors. The surgery, performed by Dr Bundela, Dr Anil Dhar, and Dr Namita Kaul, has allowed the man to use his arm once again and live his life without the tremors that prevented him from writing, eating, and putting on his clothes like any normal person. In a statement by Dr. Bundela,” DBS allows patients with movement disorders to regain control of their lives through precise modulation of brain circuits.” The Times of India reports the patient is going through post-surgical programming and rehab to fine-tune the patient’s stimulation levels for long-term improvement.
In more DBS news, UC Health University of Colorado Hospital reports that the first adaptive Deep Brain Surgery has been successfully performed with the assistance of Dr. Stevev Ojemann and PhD clinical Neuropsychologist, John Thompson, and patient Kate Goes. What makes adaptive DBS different is that it allows changes in real time using the patient’s brain signals as feedback and stimulation turns up, down, or off depending on need, calling the aDBS “a pacemaker for the brain.” Standard DBS delivers continuous electrical stimulation at fixed settings; many recipients of DBS live happy, normal lives and swear by the procedure. There are limitations to DBS; they include overstimulation, a higher risk of side effects with speech, balance, and mood, and more frequent battery changes. aDBS is still going through refinements and changes, but the treatment has had a positive impact on Parkinson’s patients, with more exciting progress to come.
Published by the New York-Presbyterian: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new way to use focused ultrasound to help people with Parkinson’s disease whose symptoms are no longer well controlled by medication. For the first time, doctors can treat both sides of the brain (done in separate, staged procedures), making it possible to reduce symptoms on both sides of the body, rather than just one.
Focused ultrasound is a non-invasive treatment that uses carefully targeted sound waves, guided by MRI, to treat the brain areas involved in movement problems. There are no incisions, no implanted devices, and no permanent hardware. Patients remain awake during the procedure, and recovery time is typically shorter compared to traditional brain surgery.
While this treatment does not stop Parkinson’s from progressing, it can ease symptoms like tremor, stiffness, and uncontrolled movements. For people with advanced Parkinson’s who can’t get enough relief from medication, or who aren’t good candidates for deep brain stimulation, the decision by the FDA opens the door to a new, less invasive option that may improve daily life.
The Felix NeuroAI™ Wristband from Fasikl: Companies, researchers, and clinicians have stepped into the AI forefront, finding ways to use artificial intelligence to develop therapies, medications, and tools to address problems the medical community has been working on for decades. According to Businesswire, the FDA approved a device for those with Essential Tremor called the Felix Neuro Wristband. This device looks like and is worn on the wrist like a smartwatch. With built-in accelerometers and gyroscopes, it continuously detects tremor activity and uses a cloud-based AI system that analyzes the tremor signal with machine learning to identify each person’s tremor pattern. The device delivers electrical stimulation to the peripheral nerves at the wrist, and the remodulated signal calms the abnormal signaling in the nervous system that causes the tremor.
Global Parkinson’s Cases Projected to Surge by 2050: Based on data provided by the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021, a report published in theBMJ (The British Medical Journal), Parkinson’s cases will surge to 25 million worldwide by 2050, thanks to an aging population, the limitations of getting healthcare to everyone in all parts of the world and The World Health Organization predicts that neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s, will become the second leading cause of death by 2040, surpassing cancer.
Unless noted, all media by Chris Denny