Reduction in cerebral atrophy associated with ethyl-eicosapentaenoic acid treatment in patients with Huntington's disease.

Abstract

Ultra-pure ethyl-eicosapentaenoic acid (ethyl-EPA), a semi-synthetic ethyl ester of eicosapentaenoic acid, is associated with clinical improvement in motor functioning in Huntington's disease. The aim was to determine the extent to which it might reduce the rate of progress of cerebral atrophy. High-resolution cerebral magnetic resonance imaging scans were acquired at baseline, 6 months and 1 year in up to 34 patients with stage I or II Huntington's disease who took part in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of ethyl-EPA. For each subject and each pair of structural images, the two-timepoint brain volume change was calculated in a double-blind manner. Significant group-level reductions in brain atrophy were observed in the head of the caudate nucleus and the posterior thalamus. These findings show that treatment with ethyl-EPA is associated with significant reduction in brain atrophy, particularly in the caudate and thalamus. No other drug tested in Huntington's disease has shown this effect.

• Authors: B K Puri, G M Bydder, M S Manku, A Clarke, A D Waldman, C F Beckmann
• Journal: The Journal of international medical research (J Int Med Res) 2008 Sep-Oct Vol. 36 Issue 5 Pg. 896-905 ISSN: 0300-0605 [Print] England
• PMID: 18831882 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Randomized Controlled Trial)

Chemical References

• Placebos
• eicosapentaenoic acid ethyl ester
• Eicosapentaenoic Acid

Topics

• Animals
• Atrophy (drug therapy, pathology)
• Cerebral Cortex (anatomy & histology, drug effects, pathology)
• Double-Blind Method
• Eicosapentaenoic Acid (analogs & derivatives, pharmacology, therapeutic use)
• Female
• Humans
• Huntington Disease (drug therapy, pathology)
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Placebos