A study of thyrotropin-releasing hormone for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy: a preliminary report

What Was Tested

This randomized controlled trial paper looks at TRH (Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone).

A unidirectional t test was used to compare mean values.

Who Took Part

The age groups tagged for this paper are young children and children, both men and women.

A randomized, double-blinded, controlled, 5-wk drug trial of six subjects and three controls.

Subjects and controls ranged from 4 to 8 yr of age and were randomly assigned to treatment and placebo groups in a ratio of 2:1.

How the Study Was Run

The design is described as randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled.

The participants were allocated by chance, so the TRH (Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone) group and the comparison group should start out alike.

As a double-blind TRH (Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone) study, the assignments were hidden from both participants and investigators until the end.

A placebo (an inactive look-alike) gave the TRH (Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone) group a baseline to be compared against.

Patients were evaluated using electromyography and handheld dynamometry of the deltoids, biceps, triceps, wrist extensors, hip flexors, quadriceps, hamstrings, and grip strength before and immediately after 5 wk of treatment.

What Was Measured

Topics PubMed links to this paper include Action Potentials, Anterior Horn Cells, Electromyography, Hand Strength, Muscle Weakness, Muscular Atrophy, Spinal and Neural Conduction.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of TRH (Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone).

The abstract goes on to report its results in about 5 sentences; this page does not restate them, so read the paper for the findings and their limits.

The publication is from 2000 (American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitation), a journal based in United States.

More context: the TRH (Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone) compound page, all human trials.