[New attempt at treating Huntington's chorea (preliminary report)]

In Huntington's chorea the biochemical disturbances are to some degree a reverse of those observed in Parkinson's disease and a failure of the cholinergic system is prevalent. Former attempts at treatment were based on blockade of the dopaminergic system. The author suggests that the general line of treatment should be -- similarly as in Parkinson's disease -- not blockade of the predominant system but enhancing the cholinergic activity by administration of acetylcholine precursors and agents blocking cholinesterase. Eight patients were treated in this way and significant improvement was achieved in half of them. Further therapeutic trials along these lines are justified theoretically and the main problem will be to find substances crossing the blood-brain barrier and acting more strongly.