PDS awards £34,000 innovation grant

The Parkinson's Disease Society (PDS) has awarded an innovation grant of close to £34,000 to aid research into whether or not non-invasive brain stimulation can help those with the condition walk and turn.

Dr Geert Verheyden and his team from the School of Health Sciences at Southampton General Hospital have gratefully received the money following the revelation that over half of 10,000 respondents to a 2007 PDS members' survey said that turning over in bed was particularly tough.

Director of research and development at the PDS Dr Kieran Breen said that he and his colleagues are unsure as to whether or not non-invasive brain stimulation has an effect on mobility or if the effects are different depending on the stage of their Parkinson's.

She continued: "This is only a small study, but it could give us enough information to know whether this is a new treatment worth pursuing. Funding this kind of high-risk new research is what our innovation grants programme is all about."

Last month, research published in the journal Annals of Neurology this week suggested that drugs used to treat heart problems could also reduce the risk of developing Parkinson's disease.

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