Neural circuitry study ‘could lead to Parkinson’s insights’

A new study from the US has uncovered fresh insights into the brain's neural circuitry which could aid understanding of the development of Parkinson's disease.

The School of Science at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis has created a mathematical model that examines the exchange of electrical signals within the brain when affected by the neurodegenerative condition.

It found that repetitious, overlapped firing of neurons can lead to waves of overly synchronised brain activity, thus causing many of the debilitating symptoms associated with Parkinson's.

This new insight could help researchers to figure out how deep brain stimulation therapies can be applied effectively to those affected by this condition.

Dr Leonid Rubchinsky, associate professor of mathematical sciences for the university, said: "Our model, and others that will follow, should make deep brain stimulation a feasible therapy for Parkinson's disease within the next decade."

Earlier this month, a study from the Mayo Clinic isolated a gene that may play a key role in affecting a person's susceptibility to Parkinson's.