A preliminary study of the efficacy of ondansetron in the treatment of ataxia, poor balance and incoordination from brain injury

Brain Injury : [BI]
Jeff MandelcornMark T Bayley

Abstract

Ataxia is caused by a variety of conditions leading to imbalance, incoordination and other disabilities. Current treatment is largely symptomatic. Ondansetron (a 5-HT3 antagonist) has been established as an anti-emetic in cancer patients, but has recently been shown to improve vertigo and cerebellar tremor in some patients. Ondansetron can improve symptoms of ataxia, imbalance and incoordination in four brain-injured patients. Placebo-controlled, double blind, crossover, 'n of 1' study, A-B-A design. Four patients with ataxia from traumatic brain injury. Four patients underwent five separate tests of ataxia under three different conditions in a double blind fashion. For all subjects, there was little difference in scores in the five areas tested, with some improvement in tests of lower limb ataxia (10.4% for 4 mg and 10.7% for 8 mg ondansetron vs baseline). Ondansetron use showed a trend towards improvement in tests of lower extremity ataxia but did not consistently improve scores in four patients.

References

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Citations

May 1, 2016·The Veterinary Clinics of North America. Exotic Animal Practice·Nicola Di Girolamo, Paolo Selleri
Feb 14, 2007·Journal of the Royal Army Medical Corps·A BennettA Mistlin

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