(excerpt from newspaper article referenced--anyone able to access the study by sortwell to which the author refers? thanks)http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs...0321/1168/NEWS

Parkinson's treatment advances
Regulator in brain keeps symptoms in check
By Peggy O'Farrell • pofarrell@enquirer.com • September 2, 2008

"...Until recently, deep brain stimulation, or the placement of a pacemaker-like device in the brain, was used as a last resort to help control symptoms. Most patients got it about 14 years after they were diagnosed.

Scientists knew stimulation helped halt the loss of dopamine-producing cells, but the mechanism was unknown.

A new study led by Caryl Sortwell, a neurobiologist at University of Cincinnati, found the stimulation actually triples the production of a neurochemical that protects the dopamine-producing cells.

The neurochemical is called brain-derived neurotrophic factor.

An increased level doesn't help the brain produce more dopamine-producing cells, Sortwell said, but it does stop the destruction of the cells that are left.

In most cases, deep brain stimulation is used only when medications don't work anymore.

It's too soon to say definitively, Sortwell said, but her findings suggest that using the procedure sooner might slow or even halt the progression of the disease in some patients.

Deep brain stimulation is used only in patients who respond to levodopa, a drug that is chemically similar to dopamine. As Parkinson's progresses, the drug becomes less effective in some patients.

If patients underwent deep brain stimulation sooner, the protective process could kick in more quickly and help save more dopamine-producing cells, experts have theorized. In recent years, patients have started getting the procedure more quickly after diagnosis..."