Healing the Brain

I have a family member who has Parkinsons Disease so I found this very interesting and timely. Often science writing seems written only for scientists but I found this very accessible and I got the sense that the information presented is right up to date and its speculations are ahead of their time! Important book!

Back in 2001 President Bush restricted federal funding for embryonic stem cell research to an existing number of cell lines already established around the world. It was later discovered that many of these cell lines could be contaminated with mouse viruses, and others were limited in their usefulness for a variety of reasons. Does this scenario sound familiar? No! Well, it should. In the late 1980's to early 90's America was enveloped in a similar controversial scientific frontier. Then President Bush Sr. had placed a permanent moratorium on federal funding of fetal tissue research, followed by restricting it to the use of those fetuses produced by spontaneous abortion. Scientists found that these fetuses exhibited many chromosomal abnormalities and thus, were limited in their usefulness just as the approved embryonic stem cell lines are today. Caught in the middle of the fetal research debates of that time were scientists keen on transplanting such tissue in medically compromised patients as many years of animal research had proven well worth the effort. One such scientist was neuroscientist Curt Freed, whose attempt in alleviating the hardships experienced by Parkinson's patients through the transplantation of fetal tissue raised him to the level of a hero to many patients, but reduced him to a semi-criminal to political lobbyists; an award seeker to competing scientists; and a murderer to pro-life advocates. In Healing the Brain: A Doctor's Controversial Quest for a Cure for Parkinson's Disease, Dr. Freed and co-author neuroscientist Simon Levay tell the story of a decade old controversial study by which only half of a number men and women suffering from Parkinson's disease were to have fetal tissue transplanted into their brain. The other group of patients undergo a sham operation. Unaware of the randomized decision of the scientists as to who receives the transplant, all patients must agonizingly wait at least one year before finding out the truth. Healing the Brain is a lot more than just the story of a single study. The history of Parkinson's disease, the pioneering scientists, the historically colorful patients, the secret scientific research, and the behind-the-scenes mongering of the political drama are all beautifully told. If the truth surrounding today's stem cell research debate needs to be known, then Healing the Brain must be read. SciLitera.com