Lamotrigine in motor and mood symptoms of Huntington's disease

Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder characterized by midlife onset, progressive course and a combination of motor, cognitive and psychiatric symptoms. Since dysregulation of the glutamate/calcium signalling pathway is beginning to emerge as a potential cause of neuron degeneration, antagonists of glutamate pathways such as lamotrigine, may have beneficial value for treatment of HD. We describe the use of lamotrigine in the treatment of an HD patient with motor abnormality (choreoathetoidic movements) complicated by psychiatric abnormalities (depression, severe mood swing and recurrent high risk of suicidal attempts). The patient's depression, severe mood swing and choreoathetoidic movements significantly improved with 300 mg/day of lamotrigine. Experience from our patient suggests that lamotrigine might be effective in treating HD patients with motor and mood symptoms. Further controlled studies are warranted to confirm its efficacy in patients of this type.