Parkinson’s disease is a degenerate disease that attacks the
central nervous system. Symptoms of Parkinson’s include shaking and slow
movements. There is no environmental
cause of Parkinson’s because it is a genetic disorder and there is currently no
cure. Cardiff University has been working on a method to allow patients to be
able to control their movements that are triggered by Parkinson’s to some
extent. For the study, patients were placed in an MRI and asked to tighten
their hands in order to distinguish which section of the brain would light up
with the most use. By doing so, patients were able to control the amount of
movement being triggered by using their thoughts. The results showed that the 5
patients who underwent the neurofeedback had more control over their movements
than those who did not. The study was small with only 10 patients involved and
5 received the brain training and the other 5 did not. The researchers stated
that they would need a larger number of test subjects to have more accurate
results. This method is not a cure in
any way according to the researchers; it is only supposed to improve the
quality of life. The results for this research also prove that the brain is an
amazing organ and has the ability to adapt. The trial has also been run on
finding ways to control depression; however, the results are yet to be released
on this experiment.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-15644449
3 comments:
I think that it is great that extensive research is being done to come up with a cure for this disease. Only time will tell what advancements will be made.
It takes small steps like this research to one day save a life. Although there is not a cure for this disease I am sure there are things that can help a person with their systems. It is a good step that this slightly improved the quality of life of the individuals being tested.
It takes small steps like this research to one day save a life. Although there is not a cure for this disease I am sure there are things that can help a person with their systems. It is a good step that this slightly improved the quality of life of the individuals being tested.
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