A new study shows that stimulating the spinal cords of rodents with Parkinson's-like symptoms, with high frequency electrical currents, helped them walk and move normally again. Called dorsal column stimulation.

The technique researchers say, has the potential to be an important treatment for Parkinson's disease, replacing deep brain stimulation, which is an effective though highly invasive treatment, a last resort for Parkinson's patients.

If, the new technique proves successful in primates as well, researchers will begin human testing in about a year. A degenerative disease.

Parkinson symptoms can eventually include difficulty swallowing, smiling and speaking. Including dementia, tremors, rigidity, slowed movements and a shuffling gait, marked by a dying off of brain cells producing dopamine, a neuro-transmitter or message carrying chemical.

Levodopa medication helps control symptoms during the early stages of the disease, as when combined with another drug, levodopa is converted into dopamine in the brain. However, as the disease progresses, benefits from levodopa diminish and patients with Parkinson's no longer respond well to medications.