less nerve damage with phenytoin in people with MS

In a study published in The Lancet Neurology, researchers found that an anti-seizure drug called phenytoin protected against nerve damage in people with optic neuritis. Optic neuritis is a common symptom of MS, in which the optic nerve that carries visual information from the eye to the brain becomes inflamed and damaged. For some people, optic neuritis can be the first sign of MS. Study leader of the Institute of Neurology at University College London in the UK, and his team focused on patients with optic neuritis because inflammation and damage to eye nerves are simple to measure. The team enrolled 86 individuals aged 18-60 with optic neuritis. The participants were randomized to receive either 4 mg/kg or 6 mg/kg of phenytoin or a placebo each day for 3 months. At the end of the 3 months, all participants underwent optical coherence tomography (OCT), which measured the thickness of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) at the back of the eye. Compared with participants who took the placebo, those who took phenytoin had around 30% less damage to the RNFL. scientists believe that these findings as "promising," noting that not only could phenytoin open the door to a new treatment for optical neuritis, but it could also lead to a new treatment for all nerve damage caused by MS.