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New Parkinson's drug heralded as breakthrough

12/9/2016

A drug initially designed to treat diabetes may be a breakthrough treatment for Parkinson's disease. After decades of disappointment, could MSDC-0160 be the drug researchers have been searching for?

Parkinson's disease is a progressive condition that strikes the central nervous system.

Causing a range of motor symptoms, it develops gradually, starting with a subtle tremor.

An estimated 60,000 Americans are diagnosed with Parkinson's every year, and over 10 million people worldwide are living with the disease.

Due to society's steadily increasing in lifespan, this figure is likely to increase over the coming years.

Despite billions of dollars of research, there is still no cure for Parkinson's. A drug designed in the 70s - levodopa - is still in use, but its benefits are limited, and the side effects are troubling.

Currently, the only available drugs tackle the symptoms of Parkinson's; none make a dent on the processes that underpin the disease's progression.

Against this somber backdrop, any news of a potential breakthrough drug is likely to turn heads.

Research, published today in the journal Science Translational Medicine, provides such a glimmer of light. A drug, initially designed to treat diabetes, appears to tackle the underlying causes of Parkinson's. If this turns out to be the case, it will be the first of its kind and has the potential to change millions of lives.

MSDC-0160, diabetes, and Parkinson'sInvestigators from the Van Andel Research Institute's Center for Neurodegenerative Science in Great Rapids, MI, believe their recent findings show that MSDC-0160 could be the breakthrough medical science has been waiting for.

"We hope this will be a watershed moment for millions of people living with Parkinson's disease. All of our research in Parkinson's models suggests this drug could potentially slow the disease's progression in people as well."

Dr. Patrik Brundin, senior author
MSDC-0160 was designed by Kalamazoo, a Metabolic Solutions Development Company. As an insulin sensitizer, it was created to treat type 2 diabetes. The company focuses on looking for drugs that might be repurposed to treat conditions other than the ones they were designed for.
This drug has already been proven safe in humans, and its manufacturing process is already established; because of this, the path through clinical trials and into widespread use is shorter and simpler to navigate. Recent trials in a mouse model of Parkinson's have provided positive results, and trials in humans are now set to begin next year.

Tom Isaacs, co-founder of The Cure Parkinson's Trust, says:

"Our scientific team has evaluated more than 120 potential treatments for Parkinson's disease, and MSDC-0160 offers the genuine prospect of being a breakthrough that could make a significant and permanent impact on people's lives in the near future. We are working tirelessly to move this drug into human trials as quickly as possible in our pursuit of a cure."
Parkinson's and metabolismAlthough diabetes and Parkinson's seem like unrelated diseases with an entirely different set of symptoms, researchers are finding that some of the underlying molecular mechanisms share similarities.

Parkinson's is believed to be, in part, a disease of the metabolic system. Rather than attempting to repair or counteract damage that has already been done, this new drug intervenes in the metabolic processes beneath Parkinson's.

MSDC-0160 is an mTOT (mitochondrial target of thiazolidinediones) modulator; it regulates the function of mitochondria - the powerhouses of the cell. It appears to restore brain cells' ability to convert nutrients into usable energy. Once the cell's power is restored, it is able to handle the buildup of potentially harmful proteins. In turn, this reduces inflammation and brain cell death. This one-a-day tablet has the potential to be a lifesaver.

This finding, if clinical trials are successful, is a huge step forward. Not only is there a potential treatment that reaches the source of Parkinson's, but an entirely new pathway has been discovered for future drug designers to hone in on.

Dr. Brundin is equally excited about MSDC-0160's potential use in other diseases, including Lewy body dementia and Alzheimer's.

Learn how the gut microbiome may contribute to Parkinson's
Written by Tim Newman

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Can You Regain Muscle Mass After Age 60?

12/8/2016

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Let’s start with the good news about aging muscles. You can rebuild them, even if you are middle-aged or older.

“Our lab and others have shown repeatedly” that older muscles will grow and strengthen, says Marcas Bamman, the director of the UAB Center for Exercise Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. In his studies, men and women in their 60s and 70s who began supervised weight training developed muscles that were as large and strong as those of your average 40-year-old.

But the process of bulking up works differently in older people than in the young, he said.

Skeletal muscles are composed of various types of fibers and “two things happen” to those fibers after we reach middle age, Dr. Bamman says. Some die, especially if we have not been exercising our muscles much. Sedentary adults can lose 30 to 40 percent of the total number of fibers in their muscles by the time they are 80, Dr. Bamman says.

Others of the fibers remain alive but shrink and atrophy as we age.

We increase the size of our atrophied muscle fibers with exercise but, for a variety of physiological reasons, do not add to the number of fibers, Dr. Bamman says.

But in practical terms, who cares? Older muscles will become larger and stronger if you work them, Dr. Bamman says.

The key, he continues, is regular and progressive weight training. If you don’t belong to a gym, consider joining one, and then plan on tiring yourself. In order to initiate the biochemical processes that lead to larger, stronger fibers, Dr. Bamman says, you should push your muscles until they are exhausted.

In his studies, volunteers used weights calibrated so that the lifters could barely complete a set of eight to 12 repetitions before their arms or legs grew leaden and they had to rest. They repeated each set two or three times and visited the gym three times per week. If you are new to weight workouts, ask for an orientation at your gym or consult an athletic trainer who often works with older clients.

By
GRETCHEN REYNOLDS

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Brain Scan Test Predicts Fall Risk in Elderly

12/7/2016

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WEDNESDAY, Dec. 7, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Falls can prove very disabling for the elderly, and new research suggests that measurements of healthy older adults' brain activity may help determine their future risk.

"Our findings suggest that changes in brain activity that influence walking may be present long before people exhibit any sign of walking difficulty," said study lead author Dr. Joe Verghese. He directs the Montefiore Einstein Center for the Aging Brain in New York City.

Verghese believes the research might even help in falls prevention. "We need to find the underlying biological mechanisms or diseases that may be altering brain activity and, if possible, correct them to prevent falls," he explained.

The new research involved 166 people averaging 75 years of age with no disabilities, dementia or difficulty walking at the beginning of the study.

All of them underwent brain scans to assess activity in the prefrontal cortex of the brain while they performed specific tests: walking, reciting alternate letters of the alphabet, and then doing both at the same time.

Over four years of follow-up, 71 of the participants (43 percent) reported a total of 116 falls, and 34 of them fell more than once. Most of the falls were minor, with only 5 percent resulting in fractures, the researchers said.

Higher levels of brain activity in the combined "walking and talking" test were associated with a higher risk of falls, with each incremental increase in brain activity linked with a 32 percent higher risk of falling.

This association remained even after the researchers accounted for other fall risk factors, such as slow walking speed, frailty and previous falls.

However, there was no link between fall risk and brain activity levels while either just walking or talking (but not both at once), Verghese's group found.

Two experts in brain health who reviewed the study said it gives insight into why falls are more common with age.

"The human brain is an incredibly efficient organ, that when healthy, uses precise activation of focal circuits for different activities," said Dr. Gayatri Devi, a neurologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. "The loss of such precision with associated widespread recruitment may be a sign of impending brain illness."

The new study showed that "those who activated more areas of their brain while walking -- in other words expended more brain effort -- were more likely to fall in the subsequent four years," she said.

Verghese said: "These findings suggest that there may be changes in brain activity before physical symptoms like unusual gait appear in people who are more prone to falls later."

Dr. Paul Wright is chair of neurology at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y. He believes that a brain scan test like the one used in the study might someday be used to help predict and prevent falls in the elderly.

Using the results of the test, "physicians may then be able to use this information to educate and counsel their patients with behavior-modification techniques" to reduce fall risk, Wright said.

The study was published online Dec. 7 in the journal Neurology.

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Did You Just Forget, or Is It Something More Serious?

12/6/2016

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Have you called your daughter by your wife’s name or your son by his brother’s name? Have you misplaced your car keys or forgotten where you parked at the mall?

If you worry these might be signs of significant memory loss or the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, which causes a slow deterioration in memory and reasoning skills, fear not, experts said.

Not all memory lapses are created equal.

Forgetfulness is natural

By the age of 45, the average person experiences a decline in memory, Dr. Gary W. Small, a professor of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, said in an email.

Forgetting facts or events over time, absent-mindedness and incorrectly recalling a detail are among six “normal” memory problems that should not cause concern, according to the Center for Brain-Mind Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

When people do experience normal memory decline related to aging, 85 percent of their complaints involve recalling people’s names, Dr. Small said.

Why do I confuse names?

You can blame multitasking for overloading your mind. Think about the ways we are driven to distraction with smartphones and social media, for instance.

“Whenever our brains are taxed by multiple demands, cognitive ‘slips’ or errors are more likely to occur due to a concept called memory ‘interference,’ ” Carrington Wendell, a neuropsychology specialist at the Anne Arundel Medical Group in Annapolis, Md., said in an email.

Name mix-ups are also more likely to occur when the two names share the same beginning, middle or ending, such as Bob and Ben or Dave and Jake, and are the same sex and similar age, she added.

What else contributes to forgetfulness?

Stress and lack of sleep can worsen the symptoms, Dr. Small said, but the side effects of medications, infections, thyroid abnormalities and depression can also impair memory.

Other possible causes include hypertension and diabetes, Dr. Thomas M. Wisniewski, director of the Center for Cognitive Neurology at NYU Langone Medical Center, said in an interview.

What are serious signs of memory loss?

Dr. Wisniewski said it is one thing to forget where you left your car keys, but it could be something more serious if you don’t know what the keys are for or how to use them. Getting lost in familiar places can also be a warning sign, he said.

Look out for instances where you or a loved one is unable to correctly name things and give them alternative names, Ann Norwich, director of the adult gerontology nurse practitioner program at York College of Pennsylvania in York, Pa., said in an email. For example, instead of saying the mail was on the counter, a person with serious memory issues might say it was on the plate or in the oven.

“Additional signs of memory impairment include irritability or even explosiveness when questioned about their memory,” she added. A person with dementia may create stories and become suspicious of others and withdraw from friends and family.

The Alzheimer’s Association has a list of warning signs of the disease, including poor judgment and memory loss that disrupts daily life.

At what age should I be concerned?

Dr. Wisniewski said it was rare that a person below the age of 60 would exhibit the symptoms of dementia, unless there was a family history.

The risk for dementia is 10 percent in people 65 years or older and approaches 50 percent by age 85, Dr. Small said.

Consulting with a health care professional is necessary to tell the difference between normal aging and dementia, he added. Tests include reviewing the history and nature of the symptoms, a physical exam, often a brain scan to rule out strokes and a mental exam to determine the degree and nature of the cognitive impairment, he said.

Dr. Norwich noted that “dementia is insidious.”

“Families adapt to the changes in their loved ones without recognizing that there may be something amiss,” she said, adding that sometimes it is only in retrospect that relatives recognize that memory loss has been building over time and that their loved one may have dementia.

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6 Simple Ways For Older People To Deal With Chronic Pain

12/5/2016

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Chronic pain is an unfortunate reality for many elderly people. As we age, our bodies become more fragile. Osteoarthritic, musculoskeletal, neuropathic, and chronic joint pain are all common and difficult to treat.

These issues make everyday activities incredibly challenging, often causing sufferers to withdraw into a sedentary lifestyle. While these issues cannot be completely cured, taking steps deal with chronic pain can slow the aging process and prevent these health issues from getting worse.

The guidelines below are six simple no-brainer steps that will help any senior citizen deal with chronic pain easily.

1. Maintaining an Active Lifestyle

Living a sedentary lifestyle is one of the primary causes of chronic pain. Our bodies need to stay in motion to keep fit. Simple tasks like getting up from a chair or walking around can become incredibly challenging, as our muscles can degrade to a point where they can no longer support our bodies.

So as soon as mobility starts to become an issue, or you discover that your body fat scale reading is getting higher than it should be, then it’s very important that you get as much daily activity you can.

2. Taking Medication

When prescribed by a doctor, medication can be incredibly effective at treating the symptoms of chronic pain. Anti-inflammatory drugs can treat the muscular issues that cause pain, and aspirin can treat the effects. If these medications are not powerful enough, many doctors prescribe opiate medications to improve the patient’s quality of life.

Unfortunately, opiates have many side effects. If used incorrectly, they can quickly turn into a drug problem. If the pain is reversible, opiates can be used to manage the symptoms while the sufferer receives treatment.

For long term treatment, it’s often recommended that patients take Palmitoylethanolamide. Also known as PEA, this drug is a naturally occurring substance that is responsible for a large number of biological functions. It’s proven itself to be a highly effective treatment for chronic pain, without any of the addictive qualities or negative side effects found with opiates.

3. TENS Therapy

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation, abbreviated as TENS, is a popular treatment for chronic pain caused by muscular issues. A TENS unit is a small electrical device with two electrodes. A low voltage current passes through the skin and into the muscle tissue, creating impulses that are detected by the central nervous system.
The current stimulates the nerves, reducing the pain to a manageable level. There are no side effects, making this a popular alternative to addictive medications.

4. Chiropractic Care & Massage Therapy

Inflammation and muscle tension can, over time, cause your joints to shift out of their natural positions. Over time, your bones and joints can shift. This permanently reduces mobility and increases pain levels. Chiropractors can manually reposition bones into their correct places, reducing the effects of chronic pain.

Massage therapists attack this problem from a different angle, forcing tense or imbalanced muscles to relax. In serious cases, these treatments are only temporarily effective. But regular appointments can drastically improve comfort levels.

5. Assisted Living

Chronic pain can get to a point where basic self-care is simply not possible. Nutrition and hygiene are essential to slowing the aging process. Elderly patients should have a live-in caretaker or relocate to a group home so that all of their basic needs are met.
When chronic pain results in mobility issues, maintaining a social life is an impossible task. Assisted living can address the physical problems, but a group home addresses the mental health consequences of an isolated lifestyle.

6. Reduce Stress

For people who suffer from chronic pain, stress can be a major problem. Our body reacts to stress with increased blood pressure and muscle tension. This amplifies the pain, creating a cycle that is hard to break. Fortunately, the treatment is easy. Simple things like spending time in the sun, visiting with loved ones, or even a phone call to a friend can reduce stress and provide the body with a chance to relax.

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Phantom movements in augmented reality helps patients with chronic intractable phantom limb pain

12/2/2016

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Dr Max Ortiz Catalan at Chalmers University of Technology has developed a novel method of treating phantom limb pain using machine learning and augmented reality. This approach has been tested on over a dozen of amputees with chronic phantom limb pain who found no relief by other clinically available methods before. The new treatment reduced their pain by approximately 50 per cent, reports a clinical study published in The Lancet.

People who lose an arm or leg often experience phantom limb pain, as if the missing limb was still there. Phantom limb pain can become a serious chronic condition that significantly reduces the patients' quality of life. It is still unclear why phantom limb pain and other phantom sensations occur.

Several medical and non-medical treatments have been proposed to alleviate phantom limb pain. Examples include mirror therapy, various types of medications, acupuncture, and implantable nerve stimulators. However, in many cases nothing helps. This was the situation for the 14 arm amputees who took part in the first clinical trial of a new treatment, invented by Chalmers researcher Max Ortiz Catalan, and further developed with his multidisciplinary team in the past years.

"We selected the most difficult cases from several clinics," Dr Ortiz Catalan says. "We wanted to focus on patients with chronic phantom limb pain who had not responded to any treatments. Four of the patients were constantly medicated, and the others were not receiving any treatment at all because nothing they tried had helped them. They had been experiencing phantom limb pain for an average of 10 years."

The patients were treated with the new method for 12 sessions. At the last session the intensity, frequency, and quality of pain had decreased by approximately 50 per cent. The intrusion of pain in sleep and activities of the daily living was also reduced by half. In addition, two of the four patients who were on analgesics were able to reduce their doses by 81 per cent and 33 per cent.

"The results are very encouraging, especially considering that these patients had tried up to four different treatment methods in the past with no satisfactory results," Ortiz Catalan says. "In our study, we also saw that the pain continuously decreased all the way through to the last treatment. The fact that the pain reduction did not plateau suggests that further improvement could be achieved with more sessions."

Ortiz Catalan calls the new method phantom motor execution. It consist of using muscle signals from the amputated limb to control augmented and virtual environments. Electric signals in the muscles are picked up by electrodes on the skin. Artificial intelligence algorithms translate the signals into movements of a virtual arm in real-time. The patients see themselves on a screen with the virtual arm in the place of the missing arm, and they can control it as they would control their biological arm.

Thus, the perceived phantom arm is brought to life by a virtual representation that the patient can see and control. This allows the patient to reactivate areas of the brain that were used to move the arm before it was amputated, which might be the reason that the phantom limb pain decrease. No other existing treatment for phantom limb pain generates such a reactivation of these areas of the brain with certainty. The research led by Ortiz Catalan not only creates new opportunities for clinical treatment, but it also contributes to our understanding of what happens in the brain when phantom pain occurs.

The clinical trial was conducted in collaboration with Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg, Örebro University Hospital in Örebro, Bräcke Diakoni Rehabcenter Sfären in Stockholm, all in Sweden, and the University Rehabilitation Institute in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

"Our joint project was incredibly rewarding, and we now intend to go further with a larger controlled clinical trial," Ortiz Catalan says. "The control group will be treated with one of the current treatment methods for phantom limb pain. This time we will also include leg amputees. More than 30 patients from several different countries will participate, and we will offer more treatment sessions to see if we can make the pain go away completely."

The technology for phantom motor execution is available in two modalities -- an open source research platform, and a clinically friendly version in the process of being commercialised by the Gothenburg-based company Integrum. The researchers believe that this technology could also be used for other patient groups who need to rehabilitate their movement capability, for example after a stroke, nerve damage or hand injury.

Story Source:
Materials provided by Chalmers University of Technology. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

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New Parkinson's drug heralded as breakthrough

Can You Regain Muscle Mass After Age 60?

Brain Scan Test Predicts Fall Risk in Elderly

Did You Just Forget, or Is It Something More Serious?

6 Simple Ways For Older People To Deal With Chronic Pain

Phantom movements in augmented reality helps patients with chronic intractable phantom limb pain

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New Parkinson's drug heralded as breakthrough

Can You Regain Muscle Mass After Age 60?

Brain Scan Test Predicts Fall Risk in Elderly

Did You Just Forget, or Is It Something More Serious?

6 Simple Ways For Older People To Deal With Chronic Pain

﻿Phantom movements in augmented reality helps patients with chronic intractable phantom limb pain

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Phantom movements in augmented reality helps patients with chronic intractable phantom limb pain