NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) – April is Parkinson’s Disease Awareness Month and a unique clinical trial is underway at the Yale School of Medicine, aiming to make strides for patients suffering from depression.
“All of a sudden I was walking and my whole arm started to shake,” said Brenda Vanasse of Somers.
In December 2012, Vanasse was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease when she was only 49 years old.
“I couldn’t function, I was so depressed. I couldn’t get out of bed, I couldn’t work, I couldn’t see my friends, nothing,” she said candidly.
Vanasse picked herself up, running road-races and working out at a gym in East Hartford specifically for those battling the debilitating disease.
That’s where Vanasse met Dr. Sophie Holmes, who is leading a first of it’s kind clinical trial at the Yale School of Medicine to understand depression in Parkinson’s patients.
“When people think of Parkinson’s they think of the movement problems, the motor symptoms, but there are these non-motor symptoms that are hidden and are very much part of the disease,” said Dr. Sophie Holmes, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Neurology at the Yale School of Medicine.
Vanasse’s depression had returned, so she signed-up to be part of the trial, supported by the organization CureNow:PD.
Participants receive either a placebo or Ketamine.
“Because of how it works in the brain, we think it will be effective in Parkinson’s,” said Holmes.
The drug was initially used as an anesthetic in emergency rooms. It’s been in the news recently, linked to actor Matthew Perry’s death and used by entrepreneur Elon Musk.
“It can have pretty acute psychological effects that if not used in the proper setting can cause a lot of harm,” said Dr. Gerard Sanacora, Professor of Psychiatry at Yale University.
Sanacora has worked with Ketamine for years and said it must be used under strict medical supervision.
But he said this unique study- funded by the Michael J. Fox Foundation– shows great promise for Parkinson’s patients.
“I’ve been doing clinical trial work for almost 30 years, at this point. This is probably the most excited I’ve been in a clinical trial,” said Sanacora.
“To me, this is how I can contribute to helping them to find a cure,” said Vanasse, who doesn’t know if she’s received the drug or the placebo but says she feels better, thanks to therapy sessions that accompany the infusions.
With a new granddaughter, Vanasse will do everything she can to slow the progression of Parkinson’s.
“We have a lot to look forward to and celebrate and be positive about,” she said.
A version of Ketamine has been approved by the FDA.
Organizers of the study are still looking for those suffering from Parkinson’s and depression to take part in the clinical trial.
Click here if you’re interested in learning more. You can also call (475) 287-9521 or email [email protected].
