DRUG-FREETREATMENT
FORDEPRESSSION
“IfeellikeI’vebeenina darktunnelformostofmylife,”
says69-year-oldDanieleBrege.Danielehassuffereda
deep lingeringdepressionfrombipolardisorderandwhile
edicationshavemadelifebearable,theydidn’t
ompletelyliftthegloom.
In2018,herpsychiatristsuggestedshetrya
ewtreatmentcalledtrans-cranialdirectcurrent
timulation(tDCS),inwhichelectrodes,placed
n thescalpforabout 20 minutes,delivera non-
nvasive,lowvoltagejolttothepartofthebrain
elatedtodepression’ssymptoms.
DanielesaystDCShasbeena ‘miracle’
orher.“IbecamethepersonI usedtobebefore
wasill.”Sheandherpsychiatristarenow
iscussingthepossibilityof reducing her
epression medication.SlowingParkinson’sDecline
Inrecentyearsresearchersbegannoticing
a side-effectamongpeoplewhotooka type
ofbloodpressuremedicationcalledcalcium
channelblockers.Alargestudyfoundthat
29 percentfewerofthemthanexpected
developedParkinson’sdisease.Evenamong
thosewhoalreadyhadthedisease,these
drugsappearedtoslowitsprogression.
Nowresearchersaretestingthemost
promisingofthesedrugs,isradipine,ina
clinicaltrial.Ifthetrialconfirmsthatitcan
slowfunctionaldecline,“itwillchangethewaywetreatParkinson’s
disease,”saysDrTanyaSimuni,directoroftheNorthwesternMedicine
Parkinson’sDiseaseandMovementDisordersCenterinChicago.
Andsinceisradipineisinwideuse already, it could be made available
quickly to those who need it.
TRUE
STORYPHOTO: COURTESY OF DANIELE BREGE42 Augus t 2019
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