Background: Buspirone, a 5HT-agonist and D2-dopamine antagonist/agonist, has modest beneficial effects in younger individuals with cerebellar ataxia. However, it is unclear whether it is beneficial and tolerable in older ataxic individuals.
Objective: To determine if an older individual with cerebellar ataxia would benefit from and tolerate buspirone.
Methods: We performed a single-subject, double-blinded, placebo-controlled randomized-phase study. The 80 year-old subject was to undergo six 4-week testing periods, divided randomly into three treatment and three placebo arms with a 2-week washout period between each arm. Treatment consisted of buspirone hydrochloride. Outcomes were clinical gait and balance testing, posturography testing, and subjective measurement of balance confidence.
Results: There were no statistically significant objective improvements with buspirone. The subject experienced a subjective improvement in balance confidence and tolerated treatment.
Conclusions: Single-subject studies can help when it is unclear whether drug trial results with young subjects are generalizable to an older subject. This single-subject study determined that buspirone was tolerable but not clearly beneficial for an ataxic older individual.
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