Deep brain stimulation 'causes impulsivity in Parkinson's'RSS Feed

People with the brain injury caused by deep brain stimulation (DBS) for Parkinson's disease are sometimes observed to behave rashly, making impulsive decisions.

Research published in journal Nature Neuroscience has uncovered a scientific basis for this.

When people decide between two equal choices, they require time to weigh up the options before making the decision.

Scientists found that in deep brain stimulation, patients had the same elevated level of medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), which deals with deliberation, when they were asked to make a decision.

This indicates that the patients still wanted to deliberate but it is as if the link to the brakes had been cut.

Scientists believe that this could pave the way for new DBS methods which could treat Parkinson's without this side effect.

In other news, research published in the Journal of Neuroscience has found that electrical stimulation could help to slow degenerative brain injury.

One hour of the therapy to the entorhinal cortex led to a two-fold increase in new cells in the hippocampus - the region of the brain which deals with learning and memory.

News by Serious Law. Expert legal assistance for those affected by brain injury

Posted by Matthew Heap
 

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