Ear stimulation for managing motor and non-motor symptoms in Parkinson’s

Highlights

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  We investigated whether caloric vestibular stimulation relieves symptoms in PD.
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  33 subjects completed the double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized study.
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  Stimulation was self-administered daily at home for 8 weeks with a solid-state device.
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  Treatment was associated with high tolerability and device satisfaction.
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  Therapeutic motor and non-motor gains were still evident 5 weeks after treatment.

Abstract

Introduction

A recent case study showed that repeated sessions of caloric vestibular stimulation (CVS) relieved motor and non-motor symptoms associated with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Here we sought to confirm these results in a prospective, double-blind, randomized, placebo treatment-controlled study.

Methods

33 PD subjects receiving stable anti-Parkinsonian therapy completed an active (n = 16) or placebo (n = 17) treatment period. Subjects self-administered CVS at home twice-daily via a portable, pre-programmed, solid-state ThermoNeuroModulation (TNM™) device, which delivered continually-varying thermal waveforms through aluminum ear-probes mounted on a wearable headset. Subjects were followed over a 4-week baseline period, 8 weeks of treatment and then at 5- and 24-weeks post-treatment. At each study visit, standardized clinical assessments were conducted during ON-medication states to evaluate changes in motor and non-motor symptoms, activities of daily living, and quality of life ratings.

Results

Change scores between baseline and the end of treatment showed that active-arm subjects demonstrated clinically-relevant reductions in motor and non-motor symptoms that were significantly greater than placebo-arm subjects. Active treatment was also associated with improved scores on activities of daily living assessments. Therapeutic gains were still evident 5 weeks after the end of active treatment but had started to recede at 24 weeks follow-up. No serious adverse events were associated with device use, and there was high participant satisfaction and tolerability of treatment.

Conclusion

The results provide evidence that repeated CVS can provide safe and enduring adjuvant relief for motor and non-motor symptoms associated with PD.

https://www.prd-journal.com/article/S1353-8020(19)30252-4/fulltext