X-Message-Number: 12268
Date: Mon, 16 Aug 1999 15:12:02 -0700 (PDT)
From: Doug Skrecky <>
Subject: methylcobalamin helps ALS

  The Life Extension Foundation has become interested in methylcobalamin
for a variety of reasons. Here's another:

---------- Forwarded message ----------

Authors
  Kaji R.  Kodama M.  Imamura A.  Hashida T.  Kohara N.  Ishizu M.  Inui K. 
  Kimura J.
Institution
  Department of Neurology, Kyoto University School of Medicine, Japan.
Title
  Effect of ultrahigh-dose methylcobalamin on
  compound muscle action potentials in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a
  double-blind controlled study.
Source
  Muscle & Nerve.  21(12):1775-8, 1998 Dec.
Abstract
  To develop a symptomatic treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, we
  compared the effects of ultrahigh-dose and
  low-dose (25 and 0.5 mg/day, intramuscularly, for 14 days) methylcobalamin on
  averaged compound muscle action potential amplitudes (CMAPs) in a
  double-blind trial. No significant changes in CMAP amplitude were found in 12
  patients who had the low-dose treatment at either 2 or 4 weeks after start of
  treatment. By contrast, 12 patients assigned to the
  ultrahigh-dose group demonstrated a significant increase at
  4 weeks. This method may provide a clinically useful measure to improve or
  retard muscle wasting, if a larger extended trial fulfills its promise.

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