Common Anticonvulsant Research - May Benefit ALS Patients
Researchers have found that a common anticonvulsant drug improved cognitive function and appeared to restore nerve cells in the brains of patients with HIV-related dementia.
The results of the Phase 1 clinical trial appear in this month's (March 1) Neurology magazine.
The University of Rochester School of Medicine and the University of Nebraska Medical Center collaboratored on the pilot study and say it helped prove a theory they developed four years ago.
The study involved 22 patients with HIV-related dementia, 16 with cognitive impairment, six without. Patients were randomized to receive either 250 milligrams of valproic acid, or placebo, twice daily.
"The most important finding in this study-- that this anticonvulsant appears to be neuroprotective in patients with HIV-related dementia--may in fact have applications to Parkinson's, Alzheimer's disease and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, where inflammation plays a key role in neurodegeneration,” said Howard Gendelman, M.D., director for the Center of Neurovirology and Neurodegenerative Diseases at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
"This shows that a common, inexpensive drug gets into the brain, and may, in fact, have a real benefit in restoring cognitive function in patients with HIV-related dementia, and perhaps other neuro-inflammatory diseases such as Alzheimer's," said Harris Gelbard, M.D., professor of neurology at the University of Rochester Medical Center and the study's principal investigator.
The results of the Phase 1 clinical trial appear in this month's (March 1) Neurology magazine.
The University of Rochester School of Medicine and the University of Nebraska Medical Center collaboratored on the pilot study and say it helped prove a theory they developed four years ago.
The study involved 22 patients with HIV-related dementia, 16 with cognitive impairment, six without. Patients were randomized to receive either 250 milligrams of valproic acid, or placebo, twice daily.
"The most important finding in this study-- that this anticonvulsant appears to be neuroprotective in patients with HIV-related dementia--may in fact have applications to Parkinson's, Alzheimer's disease and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, where inflammation plays a key role in neurodegeneration,” said Howard Gendelman, M.D., director for the Center of Neurovirology and Neurodegenerative Diseases at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
"This shows that a common, inexpensive drug gets into the brain, and may, in fact, have a real benefit in restoring cognitive function in patients with HIV-related dementia, and perhaps other neuro-inflammatory diseases such as Alzheimer's," said Harris Gelbard, M.D., professor of neurology at the University of Rochester Medical Center and the study's principal investigator.
News Type: