Here’s a look at what Parkinson’s disease (PD) is, how it affects people, and current and emerging treatments, including the potential of Gamma Knife surgery.
April 11 is World Parkinson’s Day, which aims to create greater awareness and understanding of the neurological disorder that affects about 153,000 people in the UK and over six million people worldwide. Here’s a look at what Parkinson’s disease (PD) is, how it affects people, and current and emerging treatments, including Gamma Knife surgery.
PD is a progressive neurological disorder that affects the dopamine-producing neurons in the brain. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that is essential for coordinating smooth and balanced muscle movements. PD causes the cells that produce dopamine to deteriorate or die. This can result in tremor, stiffness, walking difficulties, and a range of other symptoms.
There are three main types of PD: idiopathic PD; vascular parkinsonism; and drug-induced parkinsonism. The most common form is idiopathic PD, which means that the cause is unknown. Vascular parkinsonism occurs when the blood supply to the brain is limited, such as when a person has experienced a stroke.
Drug-induced parkinsonism is mainly caused by a reaction to neuroleptic drugs, and not progressive as the symptoms will usually subside when the patient stops taking the drugs. There are several other rarer forms of PD that may result in more unusual symptoms.
The most common form of PD (idiopathic PD) is a lifelong condition that causes a range of symptoms that slowly worsen over time. These may include:
The symptoms and the rate of progression do not follow a fixed path, and each person will have a unique experience.
Researchers still don’t fully understand what causes the most common variant of PD. There is some evidence to suggest a link between environmental stressors such as head injuries and chemical exposure and PD. Genetic mutations may also play a role in some cases. PD disproportionately affects white men over the age of 60, although it can affect anyone.
PD is treated with a combination of medication, therapy and physical activity. There is no cure, so the treatments are focused on managing the symptoms. PD medications aim to increase the amount of dopamine in the brain, or act as a dopamine substitute, or block the action of enzymes that break down the dopamine.
Physical activity is important to maintain both physical and mental health. Therapy focuses on physiotherapy; speech and language therapy; and occupational therapy to help patients manage the condition and maintain quality of life.
Researchers are constantly developing new treatments for PD. For example, gene therapy has shown some potential for addressing the underlying causes of PD rather than just aiming to manage the symptoms.
Gamma Knife surgery is an advanced form of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and is emerging as a non-invasive way to manage certain PD symptoms, particularly essential tremors. SRS works by delivering a precisely calculated and targeted dose of radiation to the affected area of the brain, so the surrounding healthy tissue remains untouched.
The Gamma Knife machine delivers multiple radiation beams from different angles at the target area in the brain. Individually, these beams are too weak to cause any damage to the brain cells they cross, but when they intersect precisely at the treatment site, they are effective in killing or slowing the progression of the harmful cells.
Usually, just one treatment session is necessary, resulting in an earlier intervention and better outcomes for the patients. Currently, Gamma Knife is regarded as one of the most effective, safe, and minimally invasive treatments for certain types of brain tumour, particularly vestibular schwannoma and meningioma.
Studies have shown that SRS can be used to target the specific brain structures that are involved in motor control, (ventral intermediate nucleus of the thalamus) thus disrupting the neural circuits that cause the symptoms of essential tremor in PD patients.
The results demonstrated a high efficacy and low complication rates, suggesting that SRS could be a valuable alternative when conventional treatments are not effective, or when they are not suitable for the patient.
Research into the causes and most effective treatments for PD is continually underway, and the significant breakthroughs and advancements made in recent years offer hope for a better future for those living with the condition.
If you are interested in finding out more about Gamma Knife surgery as a potential treatment for PD, please visit our website or contact our team today.
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