U.W. researchers studying ways to help those with MS
Posted: Apr 29, 2010 1:55 PM CDT 

Barbara Vaughan

MADISON (WKOW) -- Karen Frauly would love to be able to walk steadily. But she's had MS for 30 years, and it's taking its toll.

"I'm on antidepressants. I'm one of those people that just go, go, go. I'm a master gardener and my whole yard is flower and plants ant this last year I probably put 8 hours out there. I just couldn't do it," says Karen.

Karen traveled from the Minneapolis area to be part of a study to improve her mobility. This test establishes a baseline for how much her balance is affected under changing conditions. A healthy, active person would be able to compensate. But Karen's sense of "up" isn't working well, and her right side is weak. The goal is to develop more strength.

The hard work begins in the TCNL lab. Karen will spend hours and days retraining her brain to recover better control of her muscles. And she'll use a special device to help her. That device has changed over the years. From a shoe box-sized machine to this, a portable one that travels. Electrical stimulation of the tongue, stimulates the brain.

Dr. Kurt Kaczmarek is one of the scientists working on this study. "The nerves that we're stimulating on the tongue project directly into the brain stem without going through the spinal cords. So we believe we're activating regions of the brain stem that are responsible for not only balance but also sensory integration."

Karen places the device on her tongue, and with the help of Dr. Yuri Danilov, starts working. The device tingles the tongue while she's working on balance, posture, stability and endurance. As she mastered skills, the researchers would change them up.

"On the treadmill, they'd speed it up. Then they'd add an incline. So instead of getting easier it got increasingly harder," says Karen.

Two long weeks, working to exhaustion. And on the last day, it was time to compare. On day one, Karen clearly had trouble walking the hallway. On the final day, she was swinging her arms in a more relaxed fashion, something she hasn't done for years.

"The change is dramatic. I noticed how much of an improvement in the control of her right leg. She's able to bend her knee. She's able to weight transfer from left to right. She's not using the crutch to hold herself up," says Mitch Tyler, one of the researchers.

More relaxed, better posture, and better gait. To Karen, who once bungee jumped, it's all very encouraging!

"My grandkids are at the age that they're water skiing. I would like to get video of them water skiing with grandma again," laughs Karen.

Karen is now working with the device at home and returns periodically so the team can check on her progress.

As a result of their research, Dr. Danilov, Dr. Kaczmarek and Mitch Tyler have determined the device needs improvement. Study participants had trouble swallowing with it in. If the necessary funding comes together, this team of researchers hopes to have it on the market in three to five years.