For as determined as Dr. John Whyte of Moss Rehabilitation is to obtain results for his research study regarding the “Awakening” effect–as in the 1990 film Awakenings starring Robin Williams and Robert DeNiro–he is just as resolute about managing the expectations of caregivers hoping their unconscious patients might overcome their vegetative states.
“To have something that can potentially improve function years after injury is pretty dramatic,” says Whyte, the director of the Moss Rehab Research Institute in Philadelphia.
“The flip side is it’s very difficult. In a certain way, this makes things more complicated for those who were willing to put the issue to rest.”
The ambitious study–the largest and most rigorously designed of its kind–is investigating how the sleep drug Zolpidem might restore consciousness for patients in a vegetative state.
Whyte’s team initially conducted a small pilot study, thanks to a grant from the state health department. The double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 15 patients found one patient, a 20-something male rendered unconscious as a result of a car accident four years earlier, responded to the drug by opening his eyes and moving his limbs.
Whyte then applied for a larger federal grant to test a larger pool of patients, and the current study of 100 will aim to be more precise.
“One thing we’re interested in is why do some patients respond and others don’t, or what is it about people’s brains that allows them to respond to the drug or not respond.”
Since the study is nationwide and patients who pass an initial screening are brought to facilities nearby for observation, Whyte is still actively pursuing candidates. The three-year study should be completed in 2011.
Source: John Whyte, Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute
Writer: Joe Petrucci