Abstract
In order to investigate the significance of homopantothenic acid (HOPA) for the pathophysiology of mentally retarded children, HOPA was given orally to 60 children with various types of mental deficiency for 12 months, and clinical and electroencephalographic effects by the double-blind method were studied. The results are briefly summarized as follows : 1) The frequency analysis of waking occipital EEG was done by means of an automatic frequency analyzer. Administration of HOPA often depressed the energy percentage of slow waves (especially of δ-waves) and frequently aroused the energy percentage of α-waves. 2) HOPA raised the frequency of epileptic discharge on EEG. 3) Psychologically, HOPA often caused the increment of vocabulary and emotional excitement in mentally retarded children. 4) In the administration of HOPA over a long period of time, I.Q.was found to have increased over 10 % in 33.3 % of the children.
