Brain pacemaker delivers constant Deep-Brain Stimulation (DBS) for Alzheimer’s patients

Credit Image: Functional Neuromodulation

Once implanted into the brain, a pacemaker-like device delivering electrical stimulation could help improve the memory of Alzheimer’s patients. Technology Review reports.

Using electrodes, Deep-Brain Stimulation (DBS) is already used to treat patients with Parkinson’s, epilepsy, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

In this Alzheimer’s trial, co-chaired by Constantine Lyketsos of Johns Hopkins, the device was placed into a region of the brain involved in learning and memory.

In Alzheimer’s patients, brain tissue atrophies and the reduction of memory and thinking skills increase over time.

According to the Johns Hopkins team, electrical shocks could stimulate critical neural networks disrupted by Alzheimer’s.

Recent trials for potential Alzheimer’s drugs have failed to halt or stave off cognitive decline.

Now, in a pilot study with these deep brain stimulators, after one year of constant stimulation, brain scans of six Alzheimer’s patients showed signs of increased neuron activity in areas involving learning and memory, although, it could be unlikely to actually reverse the effects or damage to the brain caused by Alzheimer’s disease.

The researchers are recruiting patients into the new trial initiated by Toronto-based Functional Neuromodulation. The trial will track patients who have the device for a year using doctor observations and brain scans.

[Via Technology Review]

TCE Cleaning Solvent Strong Links to Parkinson's disease

An international study has linked an industrial solvent to Parkinson's disease.

Researchers found a six-fold increase in the risk of developing Parkinson's in individuals exposed in the workplace to trichloroethylene (TCE).

Although many uses for TCE have been banned around the world, the chemical is still used as a degreasing agent.

The research was based on analysis of 99 pairs of twins selected from US data records.

Parkinson's can result in limb tremors, slowed movement and speech impairment, but the exact cause of the disease is still unknown, and there is no cure.

Research to date suggests a mix of genetic and environmental factors may be responsible. A link has previously been made with pesticide use.

'Significant association'
The researchers from institutes in the US, Canada, Germany and Argentina, wanted to examine the impact of solvent exposure - specifically six solvents including TCE.

They looked at 99 sets of twins, one twin with Parkinson's, the other without.

Because twins are similar genetically and often share certain lifestyle characteristics, twins were thought to provide a better control group, reducing the likelihood of spurious results.

The twins were interviewed to build up a work history and calculate likely exposure to solvents. They were also asked about hobbies.

The findings are presented as the first study to report a "significant association" between TCE exposure and Parkinson's and suggest exposure to the solvent was likely to result in a six-fold increase in the chances of developing the disease.

The study also adjudged exposure to two other solvents, perchloroethylene (PERC) and carbon tetrachloride (CCl4), "tended towards significant risk of developing the disease".

No statistical link was found with the other three solvents examined in the study - toluene, xylene and n-hexane.

"Our study confirms that common environmental contaminants may increase the risk of developing Parkinson's, which has considerable public health implications," said Dr Samuel Goldman of The Parkinson's Institute in Sunnyvale, California, who co-led the study published in the journal Annals of Neurology.

Hopes for new Alzheimer's and Parkinson's treatments

Diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's could be caused by just a handful of genetic "repeat offenders" in the brain, Scottish scientists have revealed.

Researchers have identified a small set of proteins responsible for more than 130 brain diseases, the biggest cause of disability in the world.

The scientists, led by Professor Seth Grant at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and Edinburgh University, hope that the identification of such a relatively small number of damaging genetic triggers could lead to new treatments for brain disease.

Professor Grant said: "These diseases include common debilitating diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders as well as epilepsies and childhood developmental diseases including forms of autism and learning disability."

Neurology Professor Jeffrey L Noebels, of Baylor College of Medicine in Texas, said around half of the damaging proteins are "repeat offenders", giving researchers a strategic entry point to get to the bottom of brain diseases.

He added: "The rest of us have a front row seat to witness neuroscience unravel the complexity of human brain disorders."

The scientists say the findings open several new paths toward tackling these diseases.

"Since many different diseases involve the same set of proteins, we might be able to develop new treatments that could be used on many diseases", said Professor Grant.

"We also can see ways to develop new genetic diagnostic tests and ways to help doctors classify the brain diseases."

Early signs of Alzheimer's are in the eye - New Scientist

Early signs of Alzheimer's are in the eye - New Scientist

Your eyes reveal a lot about you, and now that includes the health of your brain. A new way of counting dying eye cells could allow Alzheimer's disease to be diagnosed and treated in its early stages.

Many neurological diseases – including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's – involve the death of neurons in the brain, but these events are extremely hard to detect.

"It's difficult to diagnose these conditions before considerable damage has taken place, because the symptoms don't show up straight away," says Francesca Cordeiro at University College London.

However, this cell death also tends to extend to cells at the back of the eye, where it is much easier to detect abnormalities. So Cordeiro and her colleagues set about creating a way of detecting these eye neuron deaths.