Parkinson’s Month: Discover 4 recent scientific discoveries about the disease

Dr. Bruno Burjaili

Parkinson’s is one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases, according to a survey by the WHO – World Health Organization – around 4 million people suffer from the disease worldwide.

However, more and more new research has been carried out on the subject that helps to better understand the emergence and progression of the disease, which helps to improve diagnostic and treatment techniques to offer a better quality of life for patients, as explained by the neurosurgeon Parkinson specialist, Dr. Bruno Burjaili.

“Research is always ongoing and, little by little, providing answers that help us to better understand the problem and know how to act on it, with the aim of improving the lives of the people involved”, he states.

The month of April is considered Parkinson’s Disease Awareness Month and the 11th is considered World Parkinson’s Day, important dates to promote awareness on the subject.

4 recent discoveries about Parkinson’s:

01 – Diabetes medication may have an effect on Parkinson’s:

According to a study recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the drug “lixisenatide”, normally used to treat diabetes, may also have good effects in reducing the progression of motor problems resulting from Parkinson’s.

“It is one of the best recent science news about Parkinson’s, as it could, within a short time, bring a new tool to our arsenal of medicines”, says the neurosurgeon.

02 – Brain waves and cognitive decline in Parkinson’s:

A study published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry identified that the analysis of brain waves in the delta and theta bands, in the frontal region (behind the forehead), helps to analyze cognitive dysfunction in Parkinson’s disease.

“This type of analysis could, for example, improve the process of selecting people suitable for the brain pacemaker, that is, the implant that can reduce tremors, stiffness and slowness,” points out Burjaili, who regularly performs procedures like this.

03 – Pesticides and Parkinson’s:

Another study, this time carried out by researchers from UCLA and Harvard, listed 10 pesticides that are related to damage to dopaminergic neurons, which affects the control of muscle movement and is related to the development of Parkinson’s.

“We already know about the harmful effects of pesticides on the nervous system and increased risk of the disease. Strict listings help protect us from this effect”, he says.

04 – Implants in the spine to improve walking:

This is one of the fields of greatest attention currently, Epidural Electrical Stimulation techniques, as shown in a study by Nature Medicine, through neuroprostheses that help modulate nerve activity, especially when combined with Deep Brain Stimulation, the ‘brain pacemaker’ ‘.

“Here is great hope for one of the most difficult problems to treat in Parkinson’s, which is difficulty in locomotion, particularly the so-called ‘freezing’”, explains Dr. Bruno Burjaili.

About Dr. Bruno Burjaili

Functional neurosurgeon specializing in Parkinson’s