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Neurology (Expert Forum)
Neurolathyrism
This forum is for questions and support regarding neurology issues such as: Alzheimer's Disease, ALS, Autism, Brain Cancer, Cerebral Palsy, Chronic Pain, Epilepsy, Fibromyalgia, Headaches, MS, Neuralgia, Neuropathy, Parkinson's Disease, RSD, Sleep Disorders, Stroke, Traumatic Brain Injury.
Neurolathyrism
by Museh, Jul 26, 1998 12:00AM
One of my children has neurolathyrism. Do you have any suggestions on what might be done for this?
Thanks.
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Dear Museh:
As you surely know, neurolathyrism is caused by prolonged and excessive dietary consumption of the grass pea due to the presence of excitatory neurotoxins (mainly BOAA, also called beta-ODAP) in this legume. The disease presents as a pure motor progressive spastic paraparesis with much milder involvement of the upper extremities.
Although the spasticity can to some extent be controlled with medications such as baclofen or tizanidine, I do not know of any treatment that reverses the pathological process of the disease. Although glutamate AMPA receptors may potentially be hypothesised to be effective, I did not find any reported study of such agents on a medline search.
I goes without saying that your son should stop consuming the grass pea.
