Can two common drugs calm uncontrollable eye shaking?
NCT ID NCT02466191
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tested whether gabapentin and memantine can reduce the speed, size, and frequency of involuntary eye movements (nystagmus) in people with oculopalatal tremor, a condition caused by brainstem damage. Seven adults took each drug separately, and researchers measured eye movements and vision-related quality of life. The goal was to see if these medications could ease symptoms and improve daily vision.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- gabapentin and memantine
- What this could lead to
- If effective, these drugs could offer a way to reduce involuntary eye movements and improve vision in people with oculopalatal tremor.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small study (only 7 people) and results may not apply to everyone. It is also an open-label design, which can bias outcomes.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 4
Runs after approval, following long-term safety and how well the treatment works in everyday use.
- Participants
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7 people
The number who actually took part.
- Start date
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Jun 2015
- Finished
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Jan 2016
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Patients with a diagnosis of oculopalatal tremor (OPT), following a focal brainstem lesion. * All patients may present a chronic acquired pendular nystagmus due to OPT, observed over a period of 6 months. * All patients will be informed about the design and purpose of the study, and all will give their informed, written consent to the protocol, which may have been approved by the local ethics committee. * Age: above 18 * Able to understand the instructions * Having a health coverage * Able to sit down for 1 hour * Stable dosage of previous medications (beginning 3 weeks previously and terminating at the end of the trial duration), except gabapentin or memantine. * For women: efficient contraception during the experimental time and in the two month following treatment withdrawal. Exclusion Criteria: * Ophthalmological * Other ophthalmological disorder that could impair corrected visual acuity (Maculopathy, Retinopathy…) * Neurological * Ongoing seizure * Severe handicap that does not allow sitting down position for 1 hour * Suicidal behavior or risk * Treatment * Under memantine or gabapentin medication (these medications should have been stopped for at least 1 week for gabapentin and 3 weeks for memantine) * Under morphine, N-methyl-D-aspartate such as amantadine, ketamine or dextromethorphan * Steroid medication for a current relapse (beginning 3 weeks previously and terminating at the end of the trial duration * Known hypersensitivity to memantine or gabapentin * General * Unstable medical state * Patient with a galactose intolerance, a lapp lactase deficiency or glucose-galactose malabsorption * Moderate renal failure (creatinine clearance \< 50 mL/min on bioassay dated from less than one month) * Recent heart infarction (\<3months) * Unstable congestive heart insufficiency * Unstable arterial hypertension * Leucopenia (\<2500/mm3) * Transaminase increase (\>5 time normal values) * Pregnancy (on questioning) * Tutelage or any legal protection measure
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Hospices Civils de Lyon
Lyon, 69002, France
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.