Gabapentin for Kleine-Levin syndrome.

Abstract

We describe a 17-year-old girl with Kleine-Levin syndrome (KLS), in which gabapentin was effective for the prevention of attacks. (99)mTc-ECD SPECT revealed hyperperfusion of the thalamus and nucleus accumbens presenting in the symptomatic period, suggesting epilepsy-like neuronal discharge from these structures. Treatment for KLS has not been established, although lithium has been used in limited cases with insignificant efficacy. Here, we report a case of recurrent hypersomnia in which gabapentin was effective for the prevention of attacks. We speculate that the recurrent hypersomnia and behaviour disturbance are related to epilepsy-like neuronal discharge from the thalamus due to dysfunction in GABAnergic receptors.

• Authors: Kaori Itokawa, Miki Fukui, Mikiko Ninomiya, Toshimasa Yamamoto, Etsuko Imabayashi, Naotoshi Tamura, Hiroshi Matsuda, Nobuo Araki
• Journal: Internal medicine (Tokyo, Japan) (Intern Med) Vol. 48 Issue 13 Pg. 1183-5 ( 2009) ISSN: 1349-7235 [Electronic] Japan
• PMID: 19571456 (Publication Type: Case Reports, Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Amines
• Anticonvulsants
• Cyclohexanecarboxylic Acids
• Receptors, GABA-A
• gamma-Aminobutyric Acid
• Gabapentin

Topics

• Adolescent
• Amines (therapeutic use)
• Anticonvulsants (therapeutic use)
• Cyclohexanecarboxylic Acids (therapeutic use)
• Electroencephalography
• Female
• Gabapentin
• Humans
• Kleine-Levin Syndrome (diagnosis, drug therapy, physiopathology)
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• Receptors, GABA-A (physiology)
• Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon
• gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (therapeutic use)