Mobile computer technologies in personified therapy of Parkinson’s disease patients

Abstract

Parkinson's disease is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system. Parkinson's disease typically occurs in people over the age of 60, of which about one percent are affected. Clinical features of Parkinson's disease consist of motor and non-motor disorders. Motor disorders include such symptoms as tremor, hypokinesia, rigidity, postural instability. Non-motor disorders include cognitive and emotional impairments, vegetative disturbance. There is no cure for Parkinson's disease, treatment is directed at improving symptoms. There are medication and non-medicated methods of treatment in Parkinson's disease. In earlier stages of Parkinson's disease dopamine agonists and monoamine oxidase type B can be very efficacious in relieving motor symptoms. The most effective therapy for Parkinson's disease is levodopa, which is converted to dopamine in the brain. Levodopa can lead to unpleasant side effects, such as shortened response to each dose, painful cramps, and involuntary movements; its use is often delayed until motor impairment is more severe. For some individuals with advanced, unmanageable motor symptoms, surgery may be an option - deep brain stimulation (DBS), when the surgeon implants electrodes to stimulate areas of the brain involved in movement. In another type of surgery, specific areas in the brain that cause Parkinson's symptoms are destroyed. External brain stimulation is one of the modern and high-technology method. This study presents results of mobile personified complex therapy with external brain stimulation in patients with parkinsonism.

Keywords

• parkinson's disease
• external brain stimulation
• cognitive impairment
• personified therapy