Earlier this year, a Minnesota man was one of the first to try a new Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) device developed by Medtronic for the treatment of his Parkinson’s disease. This new device can record movement-related brain activity and can go up to 10 years without a battery change, allowing Bruce to continue with his life. You can watch Kare 11’s interviews with Bruce and University of Minnesota neurosurgeon Robert McGovern and see footage of Bruce’s tremor disappearing the first time his device is turned on here.
If you would like to learn more about DBS therapy, please visit our website here.
Food for Thought
In an earlier issue, we highlighted the benefits of exercise and staying active, as related to Parkinson's disease. As with most health conditions, diet is also an important factor.
Get general diet recommendations for Parkinson’s disease (and find out why you might want to give kimchee or sauerkraut a try) here.
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Finding Hope Through Parkinson's Research: Teri Lamers' Story
In September, I had the privilege to connect over the phone with Teri Lamers, a 49-year-old mother who has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease (PD) for the past six years. She is a member of the Community Advisory Board, whose mission is to integrate feedback from patients with PD into ongoing and new PD research at the University of Minnesota (UMN).
Teri's journey with PD began with a “jumpy leg” and an “overly responsive nervous system.” After getting her diagnosis, her relentless curiosity about the disease led her to UMN's Neurology department, where faculty conduct many research studies on PD.
She quickly became interested in Professor Colum MacKinnon’s Movement Disorder Lab, as his research team was conducting several studies on “freezing of gait”, since one of Teri’s primary Parkinson’s symptoms is an altered gait. (Freezing of gait is the temporary, involuntary inability to move, which may feel like your feet are stuck to the ground.) Teri has participated in multiple PD studies and describes her experience as “easy, simple, and smooth.” She also enjoyed the unexpected benefit of having many opportunities to ask questions during the experiment. "They encourage questions while you're participating and are very happy to answer as many questions as possible."
When asked what she would say to those considering participating in a research study, Teri emphasized the need for large sample sizes. "In order to learn as much as we can about PD, we need more information from those with PD." Large numbers of participants are crucial in research; the bigger the sample size, the more likely the researchers are to detect findings in the data. Teri also encourages friends and family of those with PD to participate in research, as many studies also need comparison participants who don’t have PD.
Teri acknowledges that it might not always be easy to put in the extra effort to participate in a research study when you are already dealing with your PD symptoms, but she encourages everyone to consider volunteering. "Learning to live well with PD daily is most important. Being diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disease is devastating, but with so much research happening, there's hope."
For Teri, more research means more hope, and she remains optimistic about the future. She looks forward to the day when her questions about the disease's mechanisms and a potential cure, will be fully answered.
In case you missed the announcement in the September newsletter, the Udall Center at the University of Minnesota is hosting a free symposium on Parkinson's disease on October 11th. A variety of clinicians and researchers from UMN will present on: wearable devices for detecting Parkinson's disease (PD) symptoms, sleep difficulties in PD, and Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) for PD. Please join us for a morning of cutting edge research, interesting discussions, and refreshments. Friends and family are welcome to join; we look forward to seeing you there! There are only 12 spots left; please register to secure your spot. Registration and full details about the event are available here.
If you receive care through M Health Fairview and have questions about your clinical care, you may send a message to your medical team via MyChart. If you need immediate assistance, during business hours please call 612-626-6688.
Interested in participating in research? pdresearch@umn.edu Have a resource or upcoming event you would like to share? Email pdresearch@umn.edu
This newsletter is a service of the MnDRIVE DBS Core at the University of Minnesota. If you would like to support Parkinson's Disease Research at the University of Minnesota, you can make donations here!
