Selegiline Is Ineffective in a Collaborative Double-blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial for Treatment of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Abstract

AMYOTROPHIC lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neuromuscular disease manifested as weakness and wasting of all skeletal muscles of the body, ending in death due to respiratory failure.¹ The cause is unknown, but possibilities include oxidative damage,^2,3 toxic effects of glutamate,⁴ deficiency of neurotrophic factors,⁵ chronic viral infection,⁶ and immunological attack against motor neurons.⁷ Another neurodegenerative disease, Parkinson disease, seems to progress slower when patients are treated with the monoamine oxidase-B (MAO-B) inhibitor selegiline hydrochloride (Eldepryl).⁸ To determine if similar effects could be seen in ALS, we performed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.