Selegiline in the management of apathy following traumatic brain injury

Abstract

Primary objective: To provide a brief review of apathy following traumatic brain injury (TBI) and describe the use of selegiline in a group of patients with this symptom.

Main outcome: Four patients are described who showed improvement in Apathy Evaluation Scale scores and functional improvement, following the use of selegiline. In each case, selegiline was well tolerated whereas methylphenidate was not.

Conclusions: Selegiline shows potential for the management of apathy following TBI. This provides further evidence that impaired dopaminergic processes are prominent in the genesis of these symptoms. However, these findings require confirmation in controlled studies.