RALEIGH, N.C. — Stimulating the spinal column with electrical pulses shows early promise in easing much of the stiffness and shaking of Parkinson’s disease, scientists at Duke University reported Thursday.
The findings, featured in the journal Science, resulted from studies on laboratory mice and rats. The approach will now be tested on primates and could move to humans within a year, researchers said.
“This has a chance to evolve very quickly,” said Dr. Miguel Nicolelis, a neuroscientist at Duke and senior study investigator. He said the spinal-column therapy could use technology already available for treating chronic pain.
But patients and advocates urged caution, noting that the research has a long way to go before it proves beneficial in humans.
Parkinson’s disease, which afflicts 1.5 million Americans, occurs when nerve cells in the brain quit producing dopamine, a neurotransmitter essential for the body to move smoothly.
