Trial for rare brain disease

A WORLD-FIRST treatment trial for sufferers of a rare and debilitating brain disease has been given the green light in Australia.

There is currently no known treatment or cure for progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), which is a Parkinson’slike disease that attacks the brain cells and affects balance, mobility, speech and thought.

The disease is caused by a build-up of “tau” protein in the brain, which clumps together and kills message-carrying neurons. This stops signals from the brain getting to other parts of the body.

Researchers at Monash University hope to develop a potentially life-changing form of treatment for PSP sufferers, thanks to a $2.6m boost.

Research fellow Lucy Vivash said the aim of the program was to help improve the quality of life of the 1200 Australians affected by PSP.

“Quite often people come in and doctors think they have

Parkinson’s and they get put on medication for Parkinson’s, but it doesn’t work,” she said.

“A treatment would be just a revolution to the lives of these people, and things like early diagnosis would help stop all of this degeneration and rapid deterioration.”

The trial, which will be rolled out at hospitals in a number of Australian capital cities, will see 70 participants given a sodium selenate or a placebo tablet in the hope it could be used to modify the severity of PSP. Researchers will then use hi-tech PET scans to see if there is a reduction in the “tau’’ protein in the brain.

Melbourne woman Leanore Aro, 68, was diagnosed with PSP four years ago. “I had no clue what it was. I was falling over all the time and I had poor balance,’’ she said.

“It has stopped me from going out. It has impacted me terribly.”

She said it would be “great” if the upcoming trial could find a means of early diagnosis or treatment and provide even a little respite to sufferers.