Effect of gabapentin on oculomotor control and parkinsonism in patients with progressive supranuclear palsy.

Author(s): Poujois A, Vidailhet M, Trocello JM, Bourdain F, Gaymard B, Rivaud-Pechoux S

Affiliation(s): Service de Neurologie, CHU Saint-Etienne, Saint-Etienne, France. aurelia.poujois@chu-st-etienne.fr

Publication date & source: 2007-09, Eur J Neurol., 14(9):1060-2.

Publication type: Clinical Trial; Randomized Controlled Trial

The efficacy of gabapentin on motor, oculomotor and frontal lobe symptoms was evaluated in patients with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) in a pilot study. Fourteen patients were included and seven of them received gabapentin. Clinical evaluation and horizontal eye movement recordings were performed at inclusion and 5-weeks later. Motor score and saccade latency in the visually guided saccade (VGS) task were identical in the two groups. However, the error rate in the antisaccade task was significantly decreased in the gabapentin group. This preliminary study shows that gabapentin improves reflexive saccade inhibition in patients with PSP but does not improve the latency of VGSs.