Effect of L-Tryptophan on Spasmodic Torticollis

Abstract

The effect of L-tryptophan, a precursor of serotonin, and placebo were studied in eight patients with spasmodic torticollis. L-Tryptophan (5gpo as a single dose) which increased free plasma tryptophan 20-53 fold improved only one out of six patients. Two out of three patients, including the subject who improved following an oral load of tryptophan, improved with L-tryptophan combined with nicotinamide, a tryptophan pyrrolase inhibitor, when administered for 1-3 weeks. However, the magnitude of clinical improvement was not impressive. Our findings suggest that impairment of serotonergic function is not a general finding in spasmodic torticollis though it may play a minor role in the manifestation of this movement disorder in some patients. The present study emphasizes some of the difficulties in evaluating therapeutic response, namely, the intrinsic variability of the disorder, the response to placébo in some subjects and the limitations of methods for measuring change. © 1981, Canadian Neurological Sciences Federation. All rights reserved.