Researchers have designed a new technology allowing people suffering from tremors linked to Parkinson’s disease to regain control of their limbs.
- Researchers in the United States have presented an innovative machine using focused ultrasound guided by MRI to treat movement disorders such as essential tremor and Parkinson’s disease.
- This technology precisely targets the areas of the brain responsible for tremors, providing immediate results without surgery. Patients can regain immediate control of their movements.
- It also opens up possibilities for treating Alzheimer’s disease, chronic pain, addictions and certain brain cancers.
THE Delray Medical Center in the United States, recently inaugurated a cutting-edge machine that could revolutionize the treatment of neurological disorders such as tremors linked to Parkinson’s disease. This device, called Exablate Prime, uses MRI-guided focused ultrasound to precisely target areas of the brain responsible for involuntary tremors.
An alternative to surgery
Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease, characterized by the destruction of certain neurons in the brain and the accumulation of protein clumps that are toxic to nerve cells. More than 167,000 people are affected by it in France, with 25,000 new diagnoses each year, according to Inserm.
The new treatment consists of sending 1,024 ultrasound beams through the skull to heat and destroy the lesions responsible for the tremors, the researchers specify in a press release. Thanks to this technology, patients can regain immediate control of their movements. A video presented at its inauguration showed a Parkinson’s patient going from a trembling hand to a stable hand in a few minutes. Non-invasive, the treatment avoids the risks of traditional surgery and allows the patient to go home the same day – and therefore allows doctors to treat more patients each day.
New therapeutic perspectives
According to researchers, this technology opens the way to treatments for diseases such as chronic pain, addictions and certain brain cancers. Currently, the team is also testing the machine on patients with Alzheimer’s because, by disrupting the blood-brain barrier, ultrasound also helps release amyloid plaques, a key factor in the disease. This device, covered by the American health insurance Medicare, therefore represents hope for all patients suffering from neurological disorders in the United States.
