This just blew my little mind today. It was thought that our neurons would die with us or before us in the presence of neurodegenerative disease, right? Maybe not. Given this is just discovered in mice but they have found that neurons can be extracted and reused after the original host brain dies. This is being called groundbreaking.

I can see it might make stem cells a mere side step in treating brain disease. It raises some rather profound questions in both science and ethics, imho. What it really makes me wonder is how can our brain just go into a free fall of programmed cellular death when clearly it is designed/evolved beyond the life span of an organism? It seems we already have the ability to stop this Parkinsonsim thing within us already, doesn't it? It also further supports what scientists are starting to note in clinical trials with neurotrophics...that maybe our cells are more impaired or rendered dysfunctional, but are not dying.

Any other thoughts?


Lifespan of neurons is uncoupled from organismal lifespan.

First interspecies neuron transplant means longer brain life.

Hi Laura, as is often the case, you raise a really interesting topic!

I have often thought that the whole theory of our cells being dead was probably not quite right, that they are dysfunctional in some way. This because we are able often to do the things we cannot do at other times, not just because we are supplementing with l-dopa, agonists etc, but the paradoxical offs and ons can do this too. Regardless of drug intake. So how can the cells be dead.

Also there are anecdotal tales of people in very old age being taken gradually off PD meds, or more precisely having them lowered to a minimum because of side-effects that are really bothersome, like hallucinations, and not losing function. I have heard this anecdotally from health professionals too, who could not account for it.

If this does indeed happen, is this a kind of recovery from dopamine depletion that occurred at an earlier stage, do we need less dopamine in v old age anyway, or is it because cells have revived in some way. There are few studies that are ground breaking in this age group, they are usually about the negatives rather than anything positive.

The other thing that always makes me wonder about this is my own personal relationship to my lack of functioning. I always feel just a whisker away from being able to do things; this is much the same feeling when frozen on the spot by some decision-making process that has gone wrong, either a proper freeze, which I only get rarely, or a 'choice' freeze which I get often and regularly. These can be overcome, given a bit of time.

Are there studies that examine this phenomenon rather than just observe? Which elicit patient insights? I am not sure. Still the questions do persist....

Last, there are some really interesting studies that do do with how people 'vibrate'. I know I cannot do this topic justice as I cannot precisely recall the science behind it. It does though raise the question for me, is the reason that we don't function properly as much to do with some inner metronome being set wrong, and is this why dancing can unlock us? Because when dancing, for some of us at least, PD completely remits. So how does that work if the cells are dead? See also the current post on Irish dancing. Better real time scan studies might reveal more about this. Cycling too raises the same questions.....

I'm new to NeuroTalk. PD diagnosis Nov. 2011. Participated in the Phase II cogane trial, sadly it is not continuing. Now taking Azilect, I find it does help with stiffness. Once a week I attend a Dance for PD class. It is wonderful. I also practice yoga and mindful meditation to stay in the present.

Check out the research of Dr. Robert E. Burke, Director of Research Laboratories, Columbia University. He is also on the Scientific Board of PDF, MJFF and Parkinson's Unity Walk. He is researching axon regrowth in dopamine neurons. Perhaps cell death is not as high at diagnosis as is currently believed. He and Dr. J. William Langston have a youtube talk on the Current State of PD Research. It is worth listening to.

I'll be walking, second year, April 27th in the Central Park Parkinson's Unity Walk. A great fundraiser!

Stand Tall,

Welcome to the forum.

Thank you for joining us: the more people who post, the more we can learn from one another.

Is this the video that you mention:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39rKxVC2thw

John

Thank you for the welcome John and yes, that is the youtube video of Drs. Burke and Langston I mentioned.

Stand Tall
a.k.a. Jill

Check out the research of Dr. Robert E. Burke, Director of Research Laboratories, Columbia University. He is also on the Scientific Board of PDF, MJFF and Parkinson's Unity Walk. He is researching axon regrowth in dopamine neurons. Perhaps cell death is not as high at diagnosis as is currently believed. He and Dr. J. William Langston have a youtube talk on the Current State of PD Research. It is worth listening to.


Welcome aboard! I know of Dr. Langston; he always seems on the cutting edge of theory; I just wish research could match his pace. Have not heard of the other guy but sounds promising. I will check that out.

Sounds like you are in a good spot in living with this; I am still trying to get there.

Laura

As usual, you raise great questions! I think that there is something to the vibrating thing. It clearly seems to be therapeutic. Charcot in the 19th century built a special vibratory chair after hearing from patients who noted significant symptom relief from train travel or carriage, but again the paradox of time...the good effects lingered for some time after.

Charcot’s patients told him that during long carriage rides or train journeys, uncomfortable or painful symptoms of Parkinson’s disease seemed to disappear, and the relief lasted quite some time after the journey. He developed a chair that mimicked the continuous jerking of a carriage or train.


There is also treatment with magnetic resonance entering Phase 3. Google picoTesla

I have found theory asserting that earth's magnetic fields can contribute to developing neurodegenerative diseases.

I want to add more but am falling asleep. Oh, Happy Belated Birthday!

Thanks Laura,

RE: vibrating, I recently read an article, cannot remember where, about autism and vibration and that we all oscillate at an irregular vibration and when it becomes too regular then problems occur, they had found these regular vibes close to the surface of the brain and other regularities that don't occur in the 'normal' brain. Having a high end autistic who I live with (do not ask about tidyness it does not exist in our lives) I see quite a lot of similarities between pd dysfunction and the high end stuff. Find it all fascinating, and can't wait for them to learn more about how we all work. I am just not a good science person because I forget all the references. Any way my 'autie' young adult has a constant jiggle that he cannot prevent from happening, and my older child had a regular oscillation in his eyes, when he was a kid his head wobbled from side to side a tiny amount but very rhythmically, its called nystagmus, and now it is his eyes that wobble. Can't help wondering whether it is all connected.

I was involved in a genetic study by Columbia University. I written to Robert Burke and requested to be a candidate for his study. Nothing may come of it, but it is sure worth holding up your hand in PD Research class for!!!


Yippy Skippy,
Dianna Wood

Thank you for the welcome Laura. I'm learning much from Neurotalk!