Treatment of four siblings with progressive myoclonus epilepsy of the Unverricht-Lundborg type with N-acetylcysteine

The finding of increased activity of the enzyme extracellular superoxide dismutase in four siblings with progressive myoclonus epilepsy of the Unverricht-Lundborg type (PME-UL) prompted the addition of antioxidants to these patients' treatment regimen. After 6 months treatment with vitamin E, selenium, riboflavin, and zinc, there was some improvement in patient awareness and speech. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is a sulfhydryl antioxidant that increases cellular glutathione and the activity levels of several antioxidant enzymes and has additional actions that contribute to its demonstrated efficacy in preventing or decreasing damage in models of neuronal toxicity. We treated the affected siblings with 4 to 6 grams a day of NAC in addition to the other antioxidants and magnesium. There has been a marked decrease in myoclonus and some normalization of somatosensory evoked potentials with NAC treatment. The patients were treated with NAC for up to 30 months with continued beneficial effects. NAC may prevent further deterioration in the clinical course of patients with PME-UL and may be indicated in other neurodegenerative conditions where excess free radical activity may contribute to disease progression.