Scientists from Lausanne University Hospital and elsewhere found a new method to help people with Parkinson’s disease walk again.
The finding offers hope of relief from these debilitating symptoms of the degenerative disease.
The research is published in the New England Journal of Medicine and was conducted by Jocelyne Bloch et al.
Suffered by millions worldwide, Parkinson’s disease erodes motor functions and in its later stages often confines patients to a bed or wheelchair.
People with advanced Parkinson’s often struggle to walk more than a few steps or sleep through the night.
This is due to a condition called orthostatic hypotension, which occurs when a person stands up and their blood pressure drops, causing dizziness and even fainting after a couple of steps.
In the study, the team found that a spinal cord implant could help advanced Parkinson’s patients get back on their feet.
A previous study from the team revealed that such an implant had enabled three paralyzed people to walk again.
For these people, the spinal cord implant mimics how the brain sends electrical pulses to muscles, reconnecting a severed link.
But for orthostatic hypotension in Parkinson’s, it stimulates the regulator in the brain that senses the need to send more blood when people stand upright.
Before receiving the implant, one paralyzed woman would faint after taking a few steps.
Three months after the surgery, she was able to walk more than 250 meters (820 feet) with the help of a walking frame.
It is not yet certain that the form of orthostatic hypotension seen in Parkinson’s patients can be fixed solely by stimulating the regulator of the implant targets.
The team says more research is needed to verify the findings.
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