A study from the Hebrew University published in the journal "Nature Communications" reveals the connection between a decrease in the frequency of beta waves and the disease and opens up the possibility of a more targeted and effective treatment for Parkinson's
Parkinson's disease affects about 1% of the world's population and is one of the most common degenerative neurological disorders. Until now, researchers believed that in Parkinson's disease the death of dopamine cells leads to an increase in the strength of beta waves in the brain, which causes the motor difficulties characteristic of the disease. Therefore, the best way to treat the disease is to monitor the strength of the beta waves and stimulate the brain when the beta strength is high. A new study reveals the connection between the frequency of beta waves in the brain and the disease and offers an approach that allows targeted stimulation only when activity at an abnormal frequency has been detected.
The study, which was recently published in the well-regarded journalNature Communications.”, was led by the post-doctoral student Lily Yitzhakova and PhD student Panina Rafel, under the guidance of Prof. Hagai Bergman from the Center for Brain Research at the Hebrew University. The researchers found and discovered that there is a close relationship between the level of dopamine in the brain and an increase and decrease in the frequency of beta waves and not necessarily their intensity, both in humans and in monkeys. This finding may allow more targeted treatment in Parkinson's patients, when the frequency of the waves is lowerD, instead of continuously (without trying to identify abnormal activity) or based on the strength of the beta waves.
The role of beta waves is to preserve the person's current behavior and prevent transition to new behavior. Increased levels of beta waves have been identified in people who have suffered from Parkinson's disease, and therefore they are considered to contribute to the difficulty of Parkinson's patients to "move" from states of immobility to states of movement. A major factor that affects the development of the disease is dopamine, which Parkinson's patients experience a significant decrease in its amounts. Studies in recent years have led researchers to think that the loss of dopamine leads to an increase in the amount of beta waves and that this increase contributes to the motor symptoms and can be used as a marker for Parkinson's disease. However, increased beta activity was also detected in healthy and non-Parkinson brains.
In the current study, the researchers recorded the beta waves in areas belonging to the motor system in monkeys and in humans with Parkinson's disease for several months, before and after the administration of drugs that affect dopamine levels in the brain. After that, the researchers identified and analyzed the data of the beta waves and discovered that the dopamine level is correlated with the frequency and not with the intensity of the beta waves, contrary to the popular opinion in the scientific community.
Panina Rafel, one of the leaders of the research, added and said that "deep brain stimulation is a very common process for the treatment of advanced stages of Parkinson's disease in the last twenty years. Detection of beta waves at specific frequencies can be used as a marker for personalizing treatment for each patient, which will be carried out according to the frequency of the waves, when the patient is in an abnormal state and not continuously. This will allow more efficient and accurate treatment, with fewer side effects and disruption of the brain's normal activity."
