IMPACT OF DEPRENYL AND TOCOPHEROL TREATMENT ON PARKINSONS-DISEASE IN DATATOP PATIENTS REQUIRING LEVODOPA

Deprenyl and Tocopherol Antioxidant Therapy of Parkinsonism (DATATOP) trial was designed to test outcomes from treatment with 10 mg of depre nyl and/or 2,000 mg of tocopherol/day in 800 untreated patients with P arkinson's disease. The need of subjects for symptomatic treatment wit h levodopa and the conversion of all subjects to open-label deprenyl m ade it possible to study the long-term effect of early deprenyl and to copherol treatment on the later development of levodopa-associated sid e effects. The rate of developing these side effects did not differ am ong the original treatment groups (early versus late deprenyl and toco pherol versus nontocopherol). About 50% of subjects developed wearing off,'' 30% dyskinesias, and 25% ''freezing'' in each group. At the end of the study, the groups were similarly disabled on the Hoehn-Yahr, S chwab-England, and Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating scales and took similar amounts of levodopa. Young subjects were more likely to develo p wearing off, women to develop dyskinesias, and older subjects with r apidly progressive disease to develop freezing. We conclude that prior treatment with deprenyl or tocopherol did not reduce the occurrence o f subsequent levodopa-associated adverse effects in this population.