Parkinson’s Disease/Tremors

Parkinson’s is related to death of dopamine-producing cells in the substantia nigra.  That’s not the same as the apparent issues in essential tremors; those appear to involve the basal ganglia and cerebellum (and GABA, not dopamine).

I have used Fz/A1/g/Cz/A2 with linked ears, training a standard SMR protocol with some success in symptom reduction in six or seven cases of individuals with Parkinson’s.  It appears the problem with Parkinsonians is deterioration of the dopamine producing system.  Dopamine is a major neurotransmitter in the prefrontal cortex, where it arrives via the medial forebrain bundle, a set of passages that run under the midline.  Training up SMR has always seemed to me to have the effect of increasing dopamine.

Increasing SMR at Cz could have a positive effect on the basal ganglia.  There is anecdotal evidence that training below O1 and O2 (bipolar one-channel montage) to squash all frequencies and increase 12-15 has had effects with problems of gait and balance (sometimes also present with essential tremors).  These would involve training on either side of the cerebellum.  Theoretically it can’t work, because there aren’t pyramidal (EEG producing) cells in the cerebellum, so it should be “invisible” on the EEG, but there are those pesky reports of it working.

Parkinson’s is a degenerative process, and you really can’t stop the dopamine producing neurons from dying.  I’ve had some very good responses in terms of minimizing and even turning back symptoms and slowing down the rate of decline (according to the client’s physician).  It is something that requires regular training–and daily is best if possible.  I generally got people to set up their own systems so they could train at home.

I’ve had good luck training along the frontal midline, reducing all frequencies (there may be fast activity, but there is nearly always lots of slow) and uptraining SMR.  FCz/A1-A2 or Fz/A1/g/Cz/A2 (L) would work.

Tremors are often related to an imbalance in dopamine and norepinephrine, which would likely be exacerbated by stress and/or anxiety. Depending on the assessment, some alpha training in the back, some SMR at C4 or Cz or even at Fz/Pz might help stimulate the dopamine system. The effects should be reduced or gone tremors, improved ability to experience positive feelings and perhaps improved ability to fall asleep.