New funding for Parkinson's research
Press release: 15 February 2010
The Parkinson's Disease Society has awarded Dr Shaheen Hamdy from The University of Manchester an innovation grant of nearly £16,000 to investigate why people with Parkinson's have trouble swallowing.
As Parkinson's develops, many people find that everyday activities like swallowing become more difficult due to changes in how throat muscles work. Difficulties in swallowing can lead to serious complications, from problems with breathing to not getting enough nutrition and developing pneumonia.
Little research has taken place into why swallowing is affected in Parkinson's but it is known that drugs like levodopa, which is used to treat the symptoms of the condition, don't appear to help.
Dr Hamdy has been researching how a new way of stimulating the brain, called 'transcranial magnetic stimulation' (TMS), affects swallowing. By turning on a magnetic field above a particular part of the brain that helps control movement, it is possible to make specific throat muscles respond.
Forty people with Parkinson's will take part in the research over two days, both on and off medication. Using TMS, researchers will measure how active the muscles that control swallowing are by recording the throat responses to a series of magnetic brain pulses.
The study will also look at how areas of the brain that control swallowing are affected by Parkinson's drugs.
Dr Hamdy, who is based in the School of Translational Medicine, said: "Swallowing problems in Parkinson's are a major clinical challenge, and one which often gets little attention in medical research. Given the potential complications of being unable to swallow and the impact on day-to-day life for patients, we are delighted that the Parkinson's Disease Society has decided to fund our research.
“We hope our research will help us to better understand the processes that disrupt swallowing in Parkinson’s patients and provide a tool to explore new and exciting therapies, giving some hope to Parkinson’s Disease sufferers.”
Dr Kieran Breen, Director of Research and Development at the Parkinson's Disease Society, added: "We hope that this research will help increase awareness and understanding of swallowing problems in people with Parkinson's, which will lead to better treatment options.
"This is only a small study, but it could give us enough information to know whether TMS is a new treatment worth pursuing. We are passionate about funding cutting-edge research to find a cure and better treatments, which is what our innovation grant programme is all about."
Ends
Notes for editors
About Innovation Grants
Innovation Grants support exceptionally innovative research focused on the causes, treatment and the search for a cure for Parkinson's. The scheme funds high-risk, high-reward research that if successful, could generate breakthrough discoveries that could have a significant impact on the lives of people with Parkinson's.
About the Parkinson's Disease Society
The Parkinson's Disease Society (PDS) is the leading authority in the UK on the condition and a world leader in research. We campaign for a better quality of life for people with Parkinson's wherever they live in the UK. We provide expert information on all aspects of Parkinson's and a local support network for people with Parkinson's, their carers, families and friends. We are the UK's leading non-commercial funder of research into the cause, prevention and improved management of Parkinson's and are confident that our work will help lead to a cure. We are totally dependent on voluntary donations.
Media enquiries
Aeron Haworth
Media Relations
Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences
The University of Manchester
Tel: +44 (0)161 275 8383
Email: aeron.haworth@manchester.ac.uk
The University of Manchester is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.