Using TMS to improve Parkinson's symptoms

• November 14, 2018

What is Parkinson's?

Parkinson's is a neurological disorder in which due to insufficient dopamine secretion in the brain, a person suffers from a deficiency in performing motor actions. Of course, the symptoms of Parkinson's are not limited to movement, and a person with this disorder may experience other symptoms such as decreased mood, pain, sleep disorder, speech disorder, and more.

What causes Parkinson's?

This disorder, which is more common in men (about 1.5 times than women), can have various causes, from genetic causes to environmental causes, but its main cause and what exactly leads to Parkinson's disease are still unclear.

Does Parkinson's have a definitive cure?

There is no definitive treatment for this disorder so far, and the drugs and methods that are used only reduce the symptoms and do not prevent the disease. However, the use of medicine and complementary methods is very important for this group of people, because otherwise their quality of life will decrease significantly and they will have many problems in doing their life.

Parkinson and side effects of drugs?

Most of the drugs used for Parkinson's cause an increase in dopamine in the brain and eliminate the symptoms to some extent, but the side effects of taking these drugs cannot be ignored. Therefore, if it is possible to use methods in addition to medication, it will be very beneficial for Parkinson's patients.

How does a magnetic field help Parkinson's?

One of these methods, which several studies have shown to be effective in improving Parkinson's symptoms, is the use of brain magnetic stimulation. In this method, a very strong magnetic field is created around the skull, and the specialist can focus this magnetic field on a specific point of the brain and affect the electrical activity of the brain.

Can TMS strengthen the movement system of people with Parkinson's?

Regarding Parkinson's, we can refer to a study conducted by Dr. Brice and colleagues. In this study, which was conducted on a total of 50 people, it was found that the use of repetitive current magnetic brain stimulation (rTMS) can significantly strengthen the movement system of people with Parkinson's.

Can TMS improve the mood of people with Parkinson's?

In this study, they also worked on the creation of these people, but the result was not significantly different from the unrealistic stimulation group (Sham).

How was the structure of this research?

The present study has a very detailed research structure because people were carefully divided into 4 groups in order to check the real effect of stimulation, as follows:

1. Real stimulation to enhance movement (M1 region) and real stimulation to improve mood (DLPFC region)
2. Real stimulation to enhance movement and sham stimulation (Sham) to improve mood
3. Unreal stimulation to enhance movement and real stimulation to improve mood
4. Both unrealistic stimuli

What was the result of this research on people with Parkinson's?

Finally, it was found that people who received repeated magnetic stimulation of the brain with a frequency of 10 Hz (each session of 50 stimulations of 4 seconds) had a significant improvement in performing motor actions. The process of their changes was evaluated using the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale-III at time intervals of 1 week, 1, 3 and 6 months after the stimulation sessions, which was progressing compared to the initial evaluation. previous post Next post When should we see a psychiatrist?