Abstract
To determine the effects of oral administration of homopantothenic acid (HOPA) on electroencephalogram of mentally retarded children for a long term and to elucidate the duration of effect of this substance after withdrawal of the drug, we studied the EEG of these children by means of automatic frequency analysis. In the cases given 50 mg/kg of HOPA continuously for two years, its effect on the basic pattern was most marked by one month after starting the administration and its effect persisted thereafter. When 50 mg/kg of HOPA was administered for one year and changed to placebo for another year, EEG was found to revert to the pre-treatment conditions 3 months after withdrawal of the drug. In the determination of effective minimal dose of HOPA by frequency analysis of EEG, 25〜30 mg/kg proved to be ineffective and 40〜50 mg/kg was supposed to be critical dose. When HOPA is given to patients with clinical epilepsy, the frequency of seizures was generally aggravated, and this tendency became more marked in children with focal cortical seizures.
