video on pd & transcranial direct stimulation research, cleveland clinic
 

Quite interesting.

NYU has begun recruiting for a new PD study using rTMS, which obviously is different, but conceptually trying to accomplish the same brain cell stimulation. I'm going to meet with the doctor and trial team to determine if I qualify for the trial, along with the risks and if I want to volunteer. I have read a few reports, particularly with tDCS, that there were some cognitive issues a few weeks after the test. Participants improved at first and then underperformed a week later.

don't worry, they're recruiting the technical team who created life in the documentary "young frankenstein"

ha ha ........ thanks for the support ST!

I found the talk, "Moving Better with Parkinson's Disease", given by Brach Poston very interesting.

He has received funding from MJFF.

He seems to rate transcranial direct current stimulation highly. He says it is cheaper, more practical and no less effective than other external stimulation techniques. He says that, although it doesn't work for everyone, improvements in upper body movements of PwP average about 10-15%. (However, he points out that the lower body is likely to be a harder target.)

The procedure he describes for PD uses two sponges soaked in saline solution. These are connected to a battery. (He doesn't mention it but 9V and 12V are common for this purpose.) The anode is bandaged to the scalp above the basal ganglia and the cathode is placed just above the eye brow on the opposite side. A session lasting 15 minutes is typical. The circuit contains electronics to regulate the current to 1mA or 2mA. (Note the current units, mA, one thousandth of an amp.)

He mentions a retail price of $400. In my opinion, I would expect the parts to be less than $10.

Although there is no proof yet that tDCS works in the long term for PD, there seems to me to be enough research results showing benefit in the short term, to decide to expedite research into this approach.

There is a good chance that tDCS is a technology that would reduce the symptoms for millions of PwP around the world by at least 10%. The cost is so low and the ease of use so straight forward that, were there the will, every PwP could be using tDCS in less than a year. As it happens, I suspect I will be disappointed by the slow turning of the wheel of the regulatory process.

John

The problem with tDCS is similar to that with repurposed generic drugs, there's no money in it to be made by the manufacturers and their investors. That's why all of the current research is taking place in academia and no device companies are conducting any research. It really is a shame. Just think of the millions of dollars spent every year on rodent studies that never lead to anything useable. While the same amount of money into something like tDCS would rather quickly tell us if it works and what the side effects are, if any. The only way to change this is for PWP to speak their opinions. Get involved with advocacy groups, like PAN. When you donate to organizations, state your opinion on where you think the funds should be spent. As individuals we have little impact. But, as a group, we are very powerful. It's just a matter of proper organization and applying pressure in the right places.

Tupelo3,

You're probably right about the politics of the situation. And, what you propose is a reasonable way forward for the long term.

But, 9 years after diagnosis I am not confident that there is enough urgency in getting things to market in time to help me. I am more confident that in areas such as tDCS, which are probably safe and relatively low tech, a DIY approach offers a useful supplement to mainstream activity.

A basic tDCS system using a multimeter to monitor current can be built in about 10 minutes for about $20. The scientific challenge is to build into the system enough checks to be able to assert that the therapy leads to effects which are different from the placebo.

The way forward is to get half a dozen people focusing on tDCS, and sending detailed instructions back to the PwP community about how to make the best use of it.

It is interesting to note that at about 42 minutes into the video Poston answered a question about when tDCS would be available for Parkinson's by saying that, although he would not recommend it for off-label use, it was available now.

John