Deep Brain Stimulation for Parkinson's Disease

Contributed by: Dennis Fortier, President, Medical Care Corporation

A great overview article on deep brain stimulation (DBS) for the treatment of symptoms caused by Parkinson's disease was posted today at WebMD.

DBS is accomplished by implanting electrodes directly into the brain and a transmitting device below the collarbone.  The transmitter stimulates regular electrical impulses from the electrodes, which effectively "turn off" parts of the brain where many Parkinson's symptoms originate.  Among those symptoms most commonly improved by DBS are tremors, slow movement, rigidity, and problems with walking and balance.

This is an FDA approved procedure but is commonly reviewed with caution because scientists cannot convincingly explain how or why it works.  However, the data collected in carefully designed trials on real patients is very clear and very positive.

There are many considerations in the decision to undergo DBS as part of a treatment regimen.  After all, it requires surgery that includes incisions through the skull and into the chest, so it is not a minor procedure.  However, compared to alternative approaches that intentionally destroy brain tissue, this might be considered a less invasive approach.

The cited WebMD article is fairly comprehensive and touches on a wider summary of advantages and disadvantages.  I encourage you to click through and read more about it.

Physical Exercise Boosts Brain Health

Contributed by: Dennis Fortier, President, Medical Care Corporation
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We have discussed similar evidence in many earlier posts, but when new studies garner lots of press, we like to weigh in and share our perspective.  Especially on research that suggests new insights into how and why physical exercise benefits the brain.

In a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, walking was once again shown to improve brain health, this time as demonstrated by hippocampul volume.  The hippocampus is a small region in the brain where short-term memory is processed.  It is known to shrink as we age and it's relative size has been shown to correlate with memory capacity.

In this study, 120 sedentary adults between the ages of 55 and 80 were divided into two groups.  One group began a regimen of regular walking while the other began a regimen of stretching and toning. After one year, the group that walked showed an average increase in hippocampul volume of about 2% whereas the other group, who did not participate in aerobic exercise, showed an average decrease in hippocampul volume of about 1.5%.

What is most notable in this study is that the walking regimen was fairly minimal.  The expansion of the hippocampus and a measured improvement in spatial memory were obtained by walking for just 40 minutes per day, three days per week.

Given the potential benefits for such a minimal effort, it seems like we should all consider embracing the habit of a short, regular walk.

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How a Short Walk Helps Your Brain

Contributed by: Dennis Fortier, President, Medical Care Corporation

Regular readers of this blog have undoubtedly seen the evidence that physical exercise is good for the brain. Most of the research in this area is based on benefits associated with improved cardio-vascular health and a more consistent, oxygen-rich supply of blood to the brain.

Now, according to research from the Beckman Institute at the University of Illinois, published online in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, it appears that certain neurological mechanisms also play a role in translating physical exercise into better brain health.

This research recruited a group of sedentary adults aged 59 to 80 and assigned them to one of two groups. Members of the first group walked for 40 minutes at their own pace, three times per week, for one year. Members of the other group did stretching and toning exercises with similar frequency and intensity during the same period. Cognition was measured in each of the two groups at the start, mid-point, and conclusion of the study.

As expected, the walking group demonstrated significant improvements from their baseline scores. They also showed much greater improvement than those in the stretching and toning group.

The researchers were also seeking to demonstrate any neurological benefits, in addition to the expected vascular benefits provided by the exercise. To accomplish this, they used MRI to measure activity across circuits in the subject's brains. They noted an interesting finding with regard to the default mode network (DMN) which is the circuit in the brain that is most active when the brain is at rest and relatively unengaged in other activities.

In healthy brains, the DMN quickly deactivates when the person engages in a task that requires their concentration. However, in older and/or sicker brains, the DMN tends to stay active and interferes with one's attempt to focus on a more challenging task. In this study, the subjects who walked for a year showed a significantly better ability to deactivate the DMN and focus on other tasks. This was true compared to the stretching and toning group but also true compared to their own performances at the start of the study.

This is great news on two levels. We already knew that physical exercise was beneficial to both our physical and mental health. Now it seems that a light work-out, as simple as walking at one's own pace for 40 minutes per walk, three times per week, is adequate to produce a meaningful benefit. Furthermore, the benefit is derived from two distinct mechanisms, one physical and the other neurological.

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A better understanding and more awareness of Alzheimer's related issues can impact personal health decisions and generate significant impact across a population of aging individuals. Please use the share buttons below to spread this educational message as widely as possible.