http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22522940
dbs improves gastric emptying
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22632782
levadopa impaired by slow gastric emptying
therefore dbs improves levadopa absorption?
I'll vouch for that. Only problem is it doesn't empty fast enough. Groan.
My levadopa uptake used to be 2 hours, sometimes it felt it didn't kick in at all. That might have been a cumulative effect of constipation.
Now I take less levadopa, and I feel it kick in after 10 mins. I'm obviously absorbing more as I get a full 4 hours, just prior to DBS I was getting an hour every 4.
It could be argued that the levadopa is more efficiently used. Prior to dbs my dyskinesia was pretty bad, now it's pretty much non-existent.
very interesting Eck.i am very curious - i believe it does work but how?
wikiedia is very helpfull on DBS - underlying principles and mechanisms are still not clear
by the way - have you tried driving recently and if so is there any improvement? and freezing or bumpiing into things, remembering appointments?
my own theory is that its all to do with timing. our brains must have clocks which control all sorts of processes. from digestion to movement. a major clock might exist in the STN area and the frequency of the dbs replaces or augments the natural clock.
it is supported a bit by http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3171456/
and a lot by
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=your-brain-has-two-clocks
a very interesting story.
quote
Past research suggested that a brain region called the striatum lies at the heart of our central inner clock, working with the brain’s surrounding cortex to integrate temporal information. For example, the striatum becomes active when people pay attention to how much time has passed, and individuals with Parkinson’s Disease, a neurodegenerative disorder that disrupts input to the striatum, have trouble telling time.
I have been driving, with a bit of trepidation, had to send my licence away in October, still waiting, and it was an absolute pleasure. It was like riding a bike.
The return to walking was and is more of a chore, the lack of mobility,movement had caused my back to seize up, I'm undergoing Physio now to unlock my spine, build up my core and improve on my balance.
My thinking, to my mind has improved immensely.
One big change, which is common, is that I have become a lot more emotional about, well, anything. I laugh / smile when a thought enters my head at the most inappropriate times. I also cry/ well up at anything remotely sad. I'm not watching corrie again until Haley pegs it and roy is written out. As for battersly dogs home ... No don't get me started.
It's not manic. It's a lot more subtle.
I agree with the improvement of timing, co-ordination. I still need levadopa, I still don't work/sleep without it, it's an interesting sensation once you detach yourself from it.
its quite mind boggling the effect of a simple electrical impulse in the right place.
Looking to the future - can anyone tell me what the medics "pre-conditions" are for DBS? I've got a nasty feeling I shall be too clapped out to use it when the time comes. Can one bypass the selection process by going private? Perhaps I should start saving!
Bob
i have a nasty suspicion that thats the whole point of the lead-in time. dont know if you can go private in uk.
there are considerable dangers in the op so the healthier you are the better.
http://www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/live/11069/30859/30859.pdf
not particularly informative
i got passed on to dbs consultant when my meds would no longer work for my tremors,dyskinasia got bad ,this was in 2011. it took about a year till i got op,there are very intense interviews & assesments to go through that make sure the op is right for you! as turnip says it has its dangers aswell!