Ghent. Belgian researchers have discovered a new treatment method for Parkinson’s patients. This sounds unusual, but it is showing success.
For people suffering from early or middle stages of Parkinson’s disease, there may be a new treatment to help them Symptoms to alleviate it – even if a cure for the disease is still not possible. As researchers at Ghent University in Belgium have discovered, a stool transplant reduces the tremors and other symptoms typical of Parkinson’s patients.
As part of the study Intestinal bacteria from healthy people were transplanted into patients who were in an early stage of the disease as part of a so-called fecal microbiota transplant. This was inserted directly into the small intestine through a tube in the nose.
Parkinson’s: hope for long-term improvement
Like the scientists in their journal “eClinical Medicine – The Lancet” According to the published study, significant motor improvements were shown in motor tests with the patients after six to twelve months. This improvement over a longer period of time also suggests that the method is also sustainable relief which could lead to Parkinson’s symptoms.
“Our study provides promising evidence that fecal transplantation may be a valuable new treatment for the Parkinson’s disease could be,” said biotechnologist Prof. Roosmarijn Vandenbroucke about the results.
According to Roosmarijn, more research is still needed, but there is one Fecal transplant “a potentially safe, effective and cost-effective way to improve the symptoms and quality of life of millions of Parkinson’s patients worldwide.”
The transplantation of such stool samples is intended to help Parkinson’s patients.
© iStock | Thierry Zoccolan
Parkinson’s is said to begin in the intestines
That these are the symptoms of Nervous disease According to the researchers, this is the cause of Parkinson’s disease. This lies in the protein alpha-synuclein, which folds incorrectly and clumps together in people affected by Parkinson’s. These clumps then damage brain cells that produce the neurotransmitter dopamine. This then leads to the typical symptoms such as tremors, muscle stiffness and balance problems.
In Parkinson’s research, it is believed that the protein clumps form in the intestinal wall at a very early stage of the disease and are then transported via the vagus nerve, which connects the intestine and the brain Neurons reach. This is indicated by the changed intestinal flora of Parkinson’s patients, who often suffer from constipation and other intestinal problems. According to the researchers, fecal transplantation also helps here.
Over 200,000 Parkinson’s sufferers in Germany
According to the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases alone Germany over 200,000 people have Parkinson’s disease. This number is expected to rise in the coming years, as Parkinson’s disease usually only occurs in people over 60 – but the population is getting older.
Currently, the disease is primarily treated with medications that… Dopamine deficiency balance – however, these also have side effects and no longer work so well over time. In the later stages of the disease, a brain pacemaker can also help.