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Dalfampridine in patients with downbeat nystagmus—an observational study

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Abstract

We investigated the effects of dalfampridine, the sustained-release form of 4-aminopyridine, on slow phase velocity (SPV) and visual acuity (VA) in patients with downbeat nystagmus (DBN) and the side effects of the drug. In this proof-of-principle observational study, ten patients received dalfampridine 10 mg bid for 2 weeks. Recordings were conducted at baseline, 180 min after first administration, after 2 weeks of treatment and after 4 weeks of wash-out. Mean SPV decreased from a baseline of 2.12 deg/s ± 1.72 (mean ± SD) to 0.51 deg/s ± 1.00 180 min after first administration of dalfampridine 10 mg and to 0.89 deg/s ± 0.75 after 2 weeks of treatment with dalfampridine (p < 0.05; post hoc both: p < 0.05). After a wash-out period of 1 week, mean SPV increased to 2.30 deg/s ± 1.6 (p < 0.05; post hoc both: p < 0.05). The VA significantly improved during treatment with dalfampridine. Also, 50 % of patients did not report any side effects. The most common reported side effects were abdominal discomfort and dizziness. Dalfampridine is an effective treatment for DBN in terms of SPV. It was well-tolerated in all patients.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), Grant No. 01EO0901 to the German Center for Vertigo and Balance Disorders (IFBLMU). We thank Ms. Katie Ogston for copy-editing the manuscript.

Conflicts of interest

Dr. Jahn reports ongoing research support from Biogenldec GmbH (lTT on 4-aminopyridine, Fampyra™). Dr. Schneider reports ongoing research support from Autronic Medizintechnik GmbH.

Ethical standard

Study has been performed in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology and German Center for Vertigo and Balance Disorders (IFBLMU), University of Munich Hospital, Munich, Germany

    Jens Claassen, Katharina Feil, Stanislav Bardins, Julian Teufel, Rainer Spiegel, Roger Kalla, Erich Schneider, Klaus Jahn, Roman Schniepp & Michael Strupp

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  1. Jens Claassen
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  2. Katharina Feil
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  3. Stanislav Bardins
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  4. Julian Teufel
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  5. Rainer Spiegel
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  6. Roger Kalla
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  7. Erich Schneider
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  8. Klaus Jahn
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  9. Roman Schniepp
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  10. Michael Strupp
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jens Claassen.

Additional information

J. Claassen, K. Feil contributed equally to the article.

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Claassen, J., Feil, K., Bardins, S. et al. Dalfampridine in patients with downbeat nystagmus—an observational study. J Neurol 260, 1992–1996 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-013-6911-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-013-6911-5

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