A trial of antiadrenergic and antiseretonergic drugs in the treatment of 24 newly diagnosed and previously untreated infantile spasm patients is reported from the Epilepsy Research Center, Section of Neurophysiology, Department of Neurology, Baylor College of Medicine; the Methodist Hospital; and Texas Children’s Hospital; Houston, TX. Response to therapy was determined with 24 hour polygraphic/video monitoring techniques and was defined as complete control of spasms and disappearance of the hypsarrhythmic EEG pattern. Two of 12 patients treated with alpha-methylparatyrasene and one of 12 treated with methysergide showed a response. [1]
COMMENT. The hypothesis that infantile spasms may result from a dysfunction of monoaminonergic neurotransmitter systems is not exactly confirmed by the results of this study. However, the authors were impressed that the patients responding to treatment were not in spontaneous remission. Methysergide cannot displace ACTH as the treatment of choice in infantile spasms.