Behind the Blue – Parkinson’s disease research and treatment with Dr. Craig van Horne – UKNow (press release)

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 17, 2017) Parkinsons disease is a long-term, progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects movement. An estimated seven to 10 million people worldwide are living with Parkinsons. The symptoms for the disease usually develop slowly over time, and among the obvious are shaking, rigidity, slowness of movement, and difficulty in walking. Currently, there is no cure for Parkinsons, though there are medications that can slow the progression of symptoms.

Dr. Craig van Horne is an associate professor of neurosurgery with UK HealthCare. He focuses his research on cellular and surgical therapies for Parkinsons disease.

Deep Brain Stimulation, or DBS, is a surgical procedure that uses electrodes to stimulate areas of the brain, effectively overriding the damaged nerves electrical impulses to reduce many of the symptoms related to Parkinsons disease. Dr. van Horne is testing an experimental procedure called DBS+, which uses peripheral nerve tissue to prompt nerve regeneration and slow the disease process. Early data shows that DBS+ has improved symptoms for some patients, and van Horne hopes it will become the new standard of care for the treatment of Parkinsons symptoms, improving quality of life for patients who are diminished by their disease.

On this episode of Behind the Blue, we sat down with Dr. van Horne to discuss DBS+, what this treatment may mean for Parkinsons patients, and how this research can impact many other areas across the spectrum of healthcare.

Become a subscriber to receivenew episodes of Behind the Blue when they're released. UKs latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be features, along with the most important news impacting the university.

If you have questions or comments about this or any other episode of 'Behind the Blue', email us atBehindTheBlue@uky.edu,or Tweet your question with#BehindTheBlue.

Originally posted here:
Behind the Blue - Parkinson's disease research and treatment with Dr. Craig van Horne - UKNow (press release)