Operation to relieve Parkinson’s
MRC-funded research pioneered by a University of Oxford scientist has led to a surgical procedure that may relieve a crippling symptom of advanced Parkinson’s disease. Several patients in Rome have already undergone the operation, in which an electrode is implanted into a part of the brain called the pedunculopontinenucleus. This can reverse Parkinsonian akinesia, which involves difficulty starting and maintaining movement. If shown to be successful, the procedure may benefit many more patients who cannot be treated with drugs.
Neuroreport 2004; 15: 2621-2624