Preliminary results of a pilot study show that an experimental drug has produced dramatic improvements in Parkinson’s disease patients. For the study neurosurgeons pumped the experimental drug GDNF, which stands for glial derived neurotrophic factor, directly into damaged areas of the patients’ brains. GDNF is a naturally occurring growth factor that brain cells need to produce dopamine, the neurotransmitter whose concentration is depleted in Parkinson’s disease. Two of the patients involved in the study noticed a significant improvement in their condition after just one months treatment. Altogether, the drug improved the movement of five patients and even restored one patient’s sense of smell and ability to laugh.
SOURCE/REFERENCE: Reported by www.reutershealth.com on the 18th April 2002
