The effect of catecholamine precursor L-dopa on sleep bruxism: a controlled clinical trial

Mov Disord. 1997 Jan;12(1):73-8. doi: 10.1002/mds.870120113.

Abstract

The putative role of the dopaminergic system in sleep bruxism (SB) was studied in a double-blind clinical trial by using low doses of short-term L-dopa in combination with benserazide. We recorded 10 patients with SB in our sleep laboratory for 3 consecutive nights. The first night was for habituation to the laboratory environment. During the second and the third nights, the patients received two doses of either L-dopa or a placebo in a crossover fashion: the first dose 1 h before bedtime and the second, 4 h after the first one. The order of administration was reversed in half the patients. The efficacy of L-dopa was analyzed by using multilevel models. L-Dopa resulted in a significant decrease in the average number of bruxism episodes per hour of sleep, as well as in a significant reduction in the average value of the root-mean-square (RMS) electromyography (EMG) level per bruxism burst. This indicates that L-dopa exerts an attenuating effect on SB. In addition, L-dopa caused a reduction in the variance in RMS values, which suggests that L-dopa normalizes the EMG activity patterns associated with SB.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Benserazide / administration & dosage
  • Bruxism / drug therapy*
  • Cross-Over Studies
  • Dopamine Agents / administration & dosage*
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Double-Blind Method
  • Drug Administration Schedule
  • Drug Combinations
  • Electromyography / drug effects
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Levodopa / administration & dosage*
  • Male
  • Polysomnography
  • Sleep Wake Disorders / drug therapy*

Substances

  • Dopamine Agents
  • Drug Combinations
  • Levodopa
  • Benserazide