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ePaper created 2012-09-28, 09:46:25 | version 1.24.0
Research in Jülich 2|201212 New Treatment Returns Neurons to Healthy Chaos W hen neurons in the brain start firing synchronous electrical signals, this usually spells trou- ble: the consequences may be the typical tremor or rigidity of patients with Parkin- son’s disease, or else pain or an unbear- able ringing tone in the ear of people suf- fering from tinnitus. The Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine – Neuro- modulation (INM-7) is developing treat- ments for this abnormal synchronization promoting healthy chaos in the brain. They have now used computer models to demonstrate that even indirect stimula- tion counteracts this abnormal synchro- nization. This understanding could pave the way for new, non-invasive treatment options. A probe implanted deep into the brain is often the last hope for patients with Parkinson’s or a tremor. This device, commonly referred to as a brain pace- maker, sends electrical “cross fire” into the affected regions of the brain. Some 75,000 patients have already undergone this neurosurgical procedure. In order to avoid the risks involved in the operation and to be able to help a large number of patients, Prof. Peter A. Tass and his team are searching for alter- natives involving neither a scalpel nor an- aesthetics. The question is whether it is possible to treat diseases of the brain via indirect or even sensory stimuli so that, for example, the nerves in the auditory cortex of tinnitus patients can be taught to forget this synchronous mode by spe- cific successions of tones. Dr. Oleksandr Popovych (INM-7) spe- cializes in calculating the communication in complex clusters of neurons. In com- puter models, he reconstructed the ef- fects of direct and indirect stimulation. Direct stimulation means that an impulse is sent straight to those neurons firing synchronous signals. In the case of in- direct stimulation, several neurons are used as relays, making the impulse’s path to its destination longer and more rami- fied. “The result is very encouraging,” says Popovych. “The computer simula- tions clearly show that indirect signals are also able to cancel out the abnormal- ly synchronized neuronal signals. In our model calculations, we even found they had a more long-term effect.” With his mathematical models, Popo- vych is also trying to find out how strong an impulse must be in order to have an effect. He has already found out that less is sometimes more. “Many important questions still remain to be answered. For example, we need to find out how to further optimize the parameter values for the treatment to be more effective. This requires advanced models and lots of computing time.” ::Dr. Oleksandr Popovych Healthy chaos instead of syn- chronization – that is the aim of new therapies for Parkinson’s, epilepsy and tinnitus.