RESUMO
Huntington's disease is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disease that leads to premature death. The disease is caused by a pathological CAG triplet expansion in the huntingtin gene. The disease is most common in Western populations, with onset in middle age and causing progressive motor, cognitive, and psychiatric symptoms. Currently, only symptomatic treatment is provided, but new molecular technologies may allow treatments reducing levels of mutated huntingtin.
Assuntos
Doença de Huntington , Doenças Neurodegenerativas , Humanos , Doença de Huntington/genética , Doença de Huntington/terapia , Pessoa de Meia-IdadeRESUMO
OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of the dopaminergic stabilizer pridopidine (ACR16) in patients with Huntington's disease (HD). METHODS: In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 4-week trial, patients with HD received pridopidine (50 mg/d, n = 28) or placebo (n = 30). The primary outcome measure was the change from baseline in weighted cognitive score, assessed by cognitive tests (Symbol Digit Modalities, verbal fluency, and Stroop tests). Secondary outcome measures included changes in the Unified Huntington's Disease Rating Scale, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Leeds Sleep Evaluation Questionnaire, Reitan Trail-Making Test A, and Clinical Global Impression of Change. Safety assessments were also performed. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between pridopidine and placebo in the change from baseline of the weighted cognitive score. However, secondary measures such as affective symptoms showed trends toward improvement, and there was significant improvement in voluntary motor symptoms compared with placebo (P < 0.05). Pridopidine was well tolerated, with a safety profile similar to placebo. CONCLUSIONS: Pridopidine shows promise as a treatment for some of the symptoms of HD. In this small-scale study, the most notable effect was improvement in voluntary motor symptoms. Larger, longer-term trials are warranted.