Author(s): LA Nussbaum, TM Janjua1, J Pederson and Eris S. Nussbaum
Objective: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of peripheral somatosensory stimulation (PSS) in patients with Parkinson’s disease. Methods: 8 patients with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) underwent daily PSS therapy over a 4-week study period. Assessments were conducted at baseline and at 4 weeks, evaluating anxiety using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), depression using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), and PD symptoms using the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS). Statistical analysis was performed using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests or paired t-tests. The odds of transitioning to an improved score for a given survey question were analyzed using cumulative link mixed models.
Results: Four men and four women completed the trial. Mean age was 74.6 years (range 65 to 84 years). No adverse events were described by the patients. Anxiety scores decreased significantly from a median of 7 (IQR: 3.25-13) to 3.5 (IQR: 0.25-6) by week 4 (p=0.008). Similarly, total depression significantly decreased, with median PHQ-9 scores dropping from 13 (IQR: 8–18.75) to 5.5 (1.5–7.75) by week 4 (p=0.008). Based on UPDRS results, patients had significantly improved symptoms from baseline to follow-up (51.5 ± 12.6 vs. 25.1 ± 17.6, p<0.001), as well as improved scores for all subdomains, including mentation, behavior, and mood (MBM: 6.4 ± 2.8 vs. 2.1 ± 1.4, p<0.001), activities of daily living (ADL: 21.6 ± 5.3 vs. 13.1 ± 6.9, p<0.001), and motor examination (ME: 23.5 ± 7.5 vs. 9.9 ± 11.4, p<0.001). The overall cumulative odds ratio (cOR) was 5.88 (p<0.001), suggesting that on average, the odds of moving from one score to an improved score at week 4 are approximately 6 times higher than moving to a neutral or worse score compared to baseline values. This finding held true for all UPDRS subdomains, with cOR values of 5.76, 4.02, and 12.07 for MBM, ADL, and ME, respectively (all p<0.001).
Conclusion: PSS stimulation appeared to have a significantly favorable effect on anxiety, depression, and primary Parkinson’s disease symptoms in this group of patients. We suggest that further investigation into the potential usefulness of PSS therapy in patients with Parkinson’s disease is warranted.
