The Journal of mHealth Vol 2 Issue 2 (Apr 2015) | 页面 12

Industry News

Electric 'Noise' Treats Parkinson's
Symptoms
A wearable device that stimulates the
sense of balance with electric "noise"
could help Parkinson's disease patients,
according to Swedish scientists.
Scientists from the University of
Gothenburg's Sahlgrenska Academy
have developed a portable pocket-sized
vestibular, or balance, stimulation device
in a bid to improve the lives of Parkinson's sufferers.
The research was led by Associate Professor Filip Bergquist, who said the
simple device was similar to the TENS
(Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) therapy which is used for pain
relief, for example in child birth.
"So this is really not a very complicated
device. It is a current device which is very
similar to the ones that people use for
pain relief with electrical stimulation of
muscles and nerves, what's called TENS.
The difference is that we use a particular
current profile where you can stimulate
the balance organs without creating a
balance disturbance. So you do not get
the impression that the world is moving
or that you are moving, you actually do
not feel anything," Bergquist explained.
The device operates by providing
stimulation via patches attached to the
patient's head behind the ears, where the
vestibular system is located.
Parkinson's disease is characterised by
reduced levels in the brain of the hormone
dopamine, a neurotransmitter that allows
different regions of the brain to communicate with one another. Symptoms of
advanced Parkinson's disease include an
impaired sense of balance, as well as tremors, poor mobility, slowness and stiffness.
Nearly all patients diagnosed with the disease are treated with levodopa, a drug that
stimulates the production of dopamine
in the brain. The effectiveness of oral
levodopa reduces as Parkinson's disease
progresses in the patient and can lead to
involuntary movements, or dyskinesia.

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In earlier experiments on rats,

April 2015

researchers at Sahlgrenska showed that
noisy electric stimulation of the balance organs could be used to change the
activity of the brain, thereby balancing
the effects of dopamine shortage and
improving the animals' motor skills and
balance.
The researchers have also tested the
method on ten Swedish Parkinson's
patients, in both medicated and unmedicated states. According to Sahlgrenska,
on one day the patients received an active
noise stimulation and on another day
inactive treatment, not knowing which
day the current was active. According to
the research institute, the experiments
showed that the active noise stimulation
improved both the patients' balance and
the combined symptoms.
Parkinson's sufferer Staffan Lindblom
said he did not expect any great advances,
but would be thankful for anything that

would make living with the disease easier.
"I have become hardened in the sense
that I do not have too great expectations. But I still believe that something
will be found at some point which could
be useful. There is extensive research in
this field and I hope that it eventually will
come up with a result. Not a significant
result but a few steps forward would
really be appreciated," he said.
Unfortunately this particular treatment
did not work on Lindblom, with Bergquist
suspecting there could also be other
causes to Lindblom's balance problems.
Bergquist said he hoped the device could
treat patients for whom the Levodopa
drug, which turns into dopamine in the
body and increases levels of the chemical, was not enough.
He also said they were working on the