Jeff Elias and University of Virginia colleagues have used the InSightec focused ultrasound to non-invasively treat essential tremor in a clinical trial. Participant shaking was noticeably reduced throughout the 12 month period.
This is the second example this week of a successful, precisely delivered, brain ultrasound study. (See Ultrasound stimulates thalamus, patient regains consciousness.)
76 participants with moderate to severe essential tremor, for many years, and who did not respond to medications, participated in the study. 75% received the focused ultrasound treatment, guided by MRI. 25 percent underwent a sham procedure, as a control group. (They were later offered the real procedure.)
Those who received the treatment showed dramatic improvement. Mean tremor scores improved by 47 percent at three months and 40 percent at 12 months. Participants reported major quality of life improvements, and were able to feed themselves, after not being able to before. Those who received the sham procedure showed no significant improvements.
Side effects included gait disturbances and numbness in the hand or face, and were sometimes permanent.
Wearable Tech + Digital Health + NeuroTech Silicon Valley – February 7-8 @ Stanford University – Featuring: Vinod Khosla – Tom Insel – Zhenan Bao – Phillip Alvelda – Nathan Intrator – John Rogers – Mary Lou Jepsen – Vivek Wadhwa – Miguel Nicolelis