Chapter 45 - Tryptophan as a supplement in cerebral palsy

Abstract

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a common form of sensory and motor disability of childhood. The delay in maturation of monoamine systems appears to be associated with the development of CP. Among monoamine disorders, changes in tryptophan (TRP) metabolism induce deleterious responses caused by the production of neurotoxic metabolites and reduction of serotonin (5-HT) content in the central nervous system (CNS). Conversely, human and experimental studies have been investigating the therapeutic potential of TRP in reducing sensory and motor deficits of CP, including chewing problems. TRP therapy promotes benefits in the chewing movements and augments the weight and the proportion of type IIB fibers of the masseter, which contributes to the execution of the chewing strokes and movements performed for grinding the food in the experimental CP. These findings demonstrated that TRP administration, during the neonatal period, may contribute to reducing chewing deficits typical of CP.