Many new interventions for people with late-stage Parkinson’s disease involve medicating or stimulating the brain, but a new research study showed a major breakthrough in treatment using a different entry point: the spine.
A 62-year-old man with Parkinson’s regained his walking capabilities via electrodes implanted into his spine, according to a new research report.
Difficulty with walking and gait is a major problem for Parkinson’s residents in senior living communities, many of whom are at high risk for falling.
More than 90% of people with late-stage Parkinson’s have difficulty walking, the researchers noted.
Although the study was conducted on just one initial test subject, the researchers were confident that the technology has universal applications and “opens new perspectives to reduce the severity of locomotor deficits in people with Parkinson’s,” they conclude in the study.
The Swiss and French research team worked with Gauthier and stimulated the spinal neuroprosthesis eight hours a day for two years.
“It allows me to walk better,” Gauthier said of the spinal implants in a video statement. “Getting into an elevator sounds simple. But before, it was impossible for me. I was skating, I was freezing. Now, I’m going in quietly. I have no problem.”
Although the potential to use spinal implants to help people living with Parkinson’s walk is in the early stages of development, other current research into Parkinson’s and deep brain stimulation looks equally promising toward improving quality of life.
One upcoming study will use video games to gain a better understanding of Parkinson’s DBS treatment, the McKnight’s Tech Daily recently reported.
The spinal implant researchers will be able to continue the research next year with six additional people with Parkinson’s, thanks to a $1 million grant from the Michael J. Fox Foundation.
