Brain Implants for Parkinson’s

Cambridge University (UK) researchers are developing implants to help repair brain pathways damaged by Parkinson’s disease. The research focuses on stimulating small clusters of brain cells to create neural connections which will help to abate the symptoms of Parkinson’s. Parkinson’s disease occurs when the brain cells that make dopamine begin to die off. This chemical controls movement, so without it the patient has progressively worse movement problems and other symptoms. Current treatments work well early on, but they do not last and can cause serious side effects over time. This new approach transplants small clusters of brain cells that are electrically stimulated. This helps them to connect to the brain’s network and rebuild the neural pathways that have been lost due to lack of dopamine.