IMPLANTED ELECTRODE PULSES EASE HUMAN PARKINSON'S SYMPTOMS
Parkinson's disease involves the corruption of feedback
mechansisms in the brain. One of the surgical treatments for the
tremors of Parkinson's disease has been excision of the globus
pallidus, a small region deep in the brain near the core. The
difficulty with this procedure is that there may be unwanted side
effects and damage to other brain regions. Now Karen Davis et al
(University of Toronto and Toronto Hospital, Toronto CA) report
that electrical stimulation of the globus pallidus by means of
implanted electrodes in humans can relieve the tremors and other
motion problems involved in Parkinson's disease. Since the
technique involves much less tissue damage than surgery, there is
hope a technology may be developed for wide-scale use with
Parkinson's patients. (Nature-Medicine June)
Max More, Ph.D.
more@extropy.org
http://www.primenet.com/~maxmore
President, Extropy Institute: exi-info@extropy.org, http://www.extropy.org
EXTRO 3 CONFERENCE on the future: http://www.extropy.org/extro3.htm