Parkinson’s disease afflicts approximately 1 million to 1.5 million people in the U.S., most of who are 60 years old or older. The disorder is seen in people of all ethnic groups and among men and women in equal numbers. There is no known cause and no cure, just treatments to help control the symptoms of trembling arms and legs, trouble speaking, and difficulty coordinating movement. Parkinson’s disease occurs when neurons degenerate (lose the ability to function normally) in a part of the brain.
Recently, study was conducted at the Queen’s University aimed at understanding childhood brain development and healthy aging. This may also help in the diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and detecting the early onset of Parkinson’s disease.
“Our project investigates how the brain provides this control by observing eye movements. Our experiments have been designed to combine high speed eye movement recording with modern brain imaging techniques to identify brain regions that control our behavior” says Physiology professor Douglas Munoz, who leads the study. Children, teens, adults, a wide range of subjects were selected for the experiment. The speed and accuracy of their eye movements were recorded and correlated to the activity being documented in specific areas of their brains. The study showed that at early ages, children scored low. Although they understood the task, sometimes they couldn’t help but look at the light, even when asked to look away from it. As the age of the subjects increased, response times decreased and accuracy improved, peaking at age 20-25. As the subjects continued to age, the response times started to increase.
The researchers could also see which sections of the participant’s brains were active, and which were less active, with age. With these baselines in place, the same experiments can now be conducted with patients who have ADHD and Parkinson’s disease. Introducing the tests in clinics as part of regular health exams could result in earlier diagnosis of Parkinson’s, allowing the disease progression to be controlled with diet and medication, Dr. Munoz adds.
