The cause responsible for disrupting the motor system in Parkinson's patients has been revealed

A study from the Hebrew University published in the journal “Nature Communications” reveals the link between a decrease in the frequency of beta waves and disease and opens up the possibility of more targeted and effective treatment for Parkinson’s

Parkinson’s disease affects about 1% of the world’s population and is one of the most common degenerative neurological disorders. To date, researchers have believed that in Parkinson’s disease, death of dopamine cells leads to an increase in the intensity of beta waves in the brain, causing the motor difficulties characteristic of the disease. Therefore, the best way to treat the disease is to monitor the intensity of the beta waves and stimulate the brain when the beta intensity is high. A new study reveals the relationship between beta-wave frequency in the brain and disease and offers an approach that allows targeted stimulation only when abnormal-frequency activity is detected.

The study, which was recently published in the prestigious journal “ Nature Communications “, Led by post-doctoral student Lily Yitzhakova and doctoral student Pnina Rafel, under the supervision of Prof. Hagai Bergman of the Center for Brain Research at the Hebrew University. The researchers found that there was a close relationship between dopamine levels in the brain and an increase and decrease in beta wave frequency and not necessarily their intensity, both in humans and monkeys. This finding may allow for more targeted treatment In Parkinson’s patients, when the frequency of the waves is d, instead of continuously (without Attempt to detect abnormal activity or based on the intensity of the beta waves.

The role of beta waves, is to preserve a person’s current behavior and prevent the transition to new behavior. Elevated levels of beta waves have been detected in people with Parkinson’s disease, so they are considered contributing to the difficulty of Parkinson’s patients to ‘switch’ from non-motion states to motion states. A major factor influencing the development of the disease is dopamine, which Parkinson’s patients experience a significant decrease in its amounts. Studies in recent years have led researchers to believe that dopamine loss leads to an increase in the amount of beta waves and that this increase contributes to motor symptoms and can serve as a marker for Parkinson’s disease. However, increased beta activity has also been detected in healthy and Parkinson-free brains.

In the present study, researchers recorded beta waves in areas belonging to the motor system in monkeys and in sick humans Parkinson’s for several months, before and after giving drugs that affect dopamine levels in the brain. The researchers then identified and analyzed the beta wave data and found that the dopamine level correlated with the frequency and not with the intensity of the beta waves, contrary to popular belief in the scientific community.

Pnina Raphael, one of the study’s leaders, added that “deep brain stimulation is a very common process for treating advanced stages of Parkinson’s disease in the last twenty years. “When the patient is in an abnormal and non-continuous state. This will allow for more effective and accurate treatment, with fewer side effects and disruption of the normal activity of the brain.”

Scientific Research