Spastic paresis

While preclinical data from CsA in neurodegenerative disorders was promising, larger studies in Parkinson s disease did not show any benefit along with side complications. Major neurological complications secondary to cyclosporine are well documented and are known to include confusion, cortical blindness, seizure, spasticity, paresis, ataxia and coma. Most previous reports attribute these to white matter CNS lesions or white/grey matter border lesions. Moreover, several publications appeared recently refuted neuroprotective properties of CsA and similar compounds (immu-nophilin ligands). 

Documented effects The alkaloids convolvine and convolamine have anesthetic properties, produce irritation of the mucous membranes of the eyes, and large doses can paralyze the central nervous system. Due to high toxicity they are not used in medical practice. Their derivatives, convocaine and tropacin, were developed as preparations for medical use. Tropacin is used to treat Parkinson s disease, spastic paresis and other diseases following muscle tone increase. Tropacin is also recommended to treat ulcers, bronchial asthma, other cases of spasms of the smooth muscular system, and poisoning with phosphorganic compounds (Mashkovskii 1953 Khalmatov et al. 1984 Khodzhimatov 1989). 

Schule R, Siddique T, Deng HX, Yang Y, Donker-voort S, Hansson M, Madrid RE, Siddique N, Schols L, Bjorkhem I (2010) Marked accumulation of 27-hydroxycholesterol in SPG5 patients with hereditary spastic paresis. J Lipid Res 51 819-823... 

H32. Hobbs, J. R., Primary immune paresis. In Developmental Immunology (M. Adinolfi, ed.), pp. 114-158. Spastics Int. Press, London, 1969. 

Nervous system In a study of the usefulness of intrathecal baclofen in severe spastic hemi-paresis after stroke in eight patients, six had functional deterioration and weakening of the paretic side, with walking disability [44 ]. 

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