Vigabatrin increases human brain homocarnosine and improves seizure control
Open-label, no control groupHumansWith vigabatrin (antiepileptic drug; homocarnosine was the measured outcome)
This study tested carnosine together with vigabatrin (antiepileptic drug; homocarnosine was the measured outcome). Its results cannot be assigned to carnosine alone. More combination studies.
- Design
- Open-label, no control group
- Subjects
- 11 patients with epilepsy (serial MRS)
- Dose used in the study
- vigabatrin 2 g/day and 4 g/day
- What was measured
- Occipital-lobe homocarnosine and GABA by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy before and after vigabatrin was started; seizure control.
What the authors reported
Daily low-dose (2 g) vigabatrin increased both homocarnosine and GABA, and larger doses (4 g) further increased homocarnosine but changed GABA minimally. Seizure control improved with increasing homocarnosine and GABA concentrations. Patients whose seizure control improved had higher mean homocarnosine but the same mean GABA as those whose control did not. The authors note vigabatrin was previously shown to raise cerebrospinal fluid homocarnosine linearly with dose, and suggest increased homocarnosine may contribute to better seizure control.
Limits of this study
Homocarnosine was raised by a drug, not by carnosine intake; small series of 11 patients; no control group described in abstract. Full text not read.
Source
PubMed 9851440 · doi:10.1002/ana.410440614
Entry checked against PubMed abstract (E-utilities) on 2026-10-19. The dose shown is the dose the researchers used. It is not a recommendation. How to read this page.