Promising New Treatment for Parkinson’s Disease

Newswise — An estimated 1.5 million Americans are affected by Parkinson's disease, with approximately 15 percent of the patients diagnosed before the age of 50, according to The National Parkinson Foundation, Inc. In a recent study, neuroscientists have uncovered a promising new treatment option for patients who suffer from Parkinson's disease. The study, "Unilateral Intraputamenal Administration of Recombinant-Methionyl Human Glial Cell-line Derived Neurotrophic Factor to Treat Idiopathic Parkinson's Disease," will be presented from noon to 12:15 p.m. on Wednesday, May 5, 2004, during the 72nd Annual Meeting of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons in Orlando, Florida. The study will be presented by Byron Young, MD; John Slevin, MD; Don Gash, PhD and Greg Gerhardt, PhD.

Preclinical studies using both rodent and nonhuman primate models of Parkinson's Disease, have indicated that recombinant-methionyl Glial Cell-line Derived Neurotrophic Factor (r-metGDNF) stimulates recovery of the injured nigrostriatal dopamine system and improves motor function. This new study is the first in North America to use r-metGDNF for treatment of Parkinson's disease.

"We were hopeful that the treatment option used within our study would improve the overall function of patients with Parkinson's disease," said Byron Young, MD, a neurosurgeon and co-author of the study.

Working with six study participants who have Parkinson's disease, the authors evaluated and reported on the results from unilateral intraputamenal GDNF infusion for 24 weeks. Patients were evaluated at eight week intervals after intraputamenal catheter implantation opposite from the side of the brain most affected by the disease.

The authors administered 3 micrograms per day of GDNF through week 8, 10 micrograms per day through week 24 and then 30 micrograms per day through week 24, followed by a four-week period of drug wash-out. Patients were then reassessed at weeks 8, 16, and 24 and following drug wash out.

Upon evaluation at 6 months, the motor functions of the patients improved 30 to 40 percent based on their original assessments. Improvements persisted at four weeks after the drug administration ended. Authors noted some bilateral improvements of the patients, including improved postural stability. Preliminary results of the study revealed that unilateral intraputamenal continuous infusion of GDNF appears to improve overall motor functions of patients suffering from Parkinson's disease.

Founded in 1931 as the Harvey Cushing Society, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) is a scientific and educational association with more than 6,500 members worldwide. The AANS is dedicated to advancing the specialty of neurological surgery in order to provide the highest quality of neurosurgical care to the public. All active members of the AANS are certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons (Neurosurgery) of Canada or the Mexican Council of Neurological Surgery, AC. Neurological surgery is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of disorders that affect the entire nervous system including the spinal column, spinal cord, brain and peripheral nerves.