Efficacy of Dronabinol for the Treatment of Cervical Dystonia
Status:
Unknown status
Trial end date:
2009-12-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Cervical dystonia (CD) is characterized by abnormal, involuntary sustained cervical muscles
contractions associated with twisting movements and abnormal postures of the neck that can be
quite disabling. Currently there are no good oral medications for the treatment of CD. While
botulinum toxin injections are effective in most, they require repeat injections and there
are some patients who either stop responding or who never respond at all. Therefore, better
treatments are needed. While the underlying mechanisms of dystonia are not entirely known,
there is some information suggesting that it is ude to an underactivity of a chemical
compound, GABA, that is located in the basal ganglia. Cannabinoids are a compound than can
enhance transmission of GABA, and thus, may alleviate the symptoms of dystonia. Dronabinol,
one such cannabinoid, has been widely used to treat anorexia and nausea in chemotherapeutic
patients. The aim of this study, therefore, is to study the effect of dronabinol on cervical
dystonia