Improvement of cerebellar ataxia with levorotatory form of 5-hydroxytryptophan. A double-blind study with quantified data processing
P. Trouillas, F. Brudon and P. Adeleine
Neurology Service Hopital Neurologique, Alexis Carrel Faculty of Medicine, Lyon, France.
Some features of cerebellar ataxia have been reported to regress partially
with long-term administration of 5-hydroxytryptophan or levorotatory form
of 5-hydroxytryptophan. To test this effect further, 30 patients with
various inherited or acquired cerebellar ataxias underwent a randomized,
double-blind trial of placebo, and the levorotatory form of
5-hydroxytryptophan taken orally for four months. The levorotatory form of
5-hydroxytryptophan significantly improved the ataxia score. It also
significantly modified the time of standing upright, the spread of feet,
the speed of walking, speaking, and writing. In five cases in which the
levorotatory form of 5-hydroxytryptophan therapy was maintained for 12
months, the effect continued progressively.
