The brain is an area isolated from many of the chemicals into the blood by the blood brain barrier, meaning that it is not accessible to many medications or therapies delivered orally or intravenously. In addition, around a third of Parkinson’s patients in the USA are in the later stages of the disease and resistant to medication.
More-precise methods to reach the brain have been developed, including improved brain imaging and the use of implanted stimulators. This is good news for Parkinson’s patients, and a number of new clinical trials for Parkinson’s in which a therapeutic gene or another treatment is delivered directly to a specific part of the brain are currently in progress.
As delivery technologies improve, so too are new therapeutics. Typical treatments include:
- Drugs that replace the chemical messenger dopamine – however the benefits of these medications frequently decline over time.
- Deep brain stimulation (DBS) – an electrode is implanted directly into the brain to send electrical pulses to the damaged part of the brain ,overriding the abnormal neural signaling that triggers tremors, rigidity, and other symptoms of Parkinson’s. While DBS is effective in reducing the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, it does not cure it.
Many companies are now searching for new alternatives which involve shorter surgical time and a better prognosis. One promising treatment is Gene therapy – currently being tested in clinical trials.
The therapeutic gene GAD, codes for an enzyme that catalyzes production of the chemical messenger GABA [cells that produce GABA are lost in Parkinsons] bypassing the area affected by cell death, and restoring balance to the circuit. Trials have shown a 29 percent improvement in motor function.
Find out more about this treatment for Parkinsons
Find out more about Parkinsons Disease