PARKINSON'S DISEASE NEWS

18th March 2011 - New research

CLINICAL TRIAL RESULTS OF GENE THERAPY FOR PARKINSON'S DISEASE

The Lancet Neurology, Early Online Publication, 17 March 2011 (P.A.LeWitt, A.R.Rezai, M.A.Leehey, S.G. Ojemann, A.W.Flaherty, E.N.Eskandar, S.K.Kostyk, K.Thomas, A.Sarkar, M.S.Siddiqui, S.B.Tatter, J.M.Schwalb, K.L.Poston, J.M.Henderson, R.M.Kurlan, I. H.Richard, L.Van Meter, C.V.Sapan, M.J.During, M.G.Kaplitt, A. Feigin) Complete abstract

A surgical method of increasing the levels of GABA, which is a substance involved in muscular movement, has resulted in claims of the method being beneficial for Parkinson's Disease. AAV2-GAD, which is called NLX-P101, was delivered in to the subthalamic nucleus of the brains of people with Parkinson's Disease. GAD is the enzyme (a chemical substance) that makes GABA naturally in the brain. Only a third of the elligible patients were given the treatment. A third of those elligible had to be excluded because of technical problems. The other third of those elligible only received sham surgery (no treatment at all).

There was a 23% reduction in symptoms in the third of patients that were treated. However, even those that were not treated at all reduced their symptoms by nearly 13%. So the actual benefit of the surgical method used was only a 10% reduction in symptoms in those that were treated. Of the adverse events experienced, the most common were headache and nausea. The study was carried out for only six months. It is normal for any artificial stimulation of a biochemical function, as occurred in this study, to eventually start reversing due to a process called feedback inhibition. For more current news go to Parkinson's Disease News.

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Parkinson's Disease News details all significant new research, news reports, new books, and new resources concerning Parkinson's Disease and those medical disorders that often coincide with Parkinson's Disease. It is compiled from an analysis of  all newly published research, news reports, new clinical trials, all newly published books, and new web sites. A summary and analysis of the new research are provided,  as well as links to the complete abstracts and news reports