Gabapentin for decerebrate rigidity: a case report
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Updated: Jul 9, 2026

Non-restraining EEG Radiotelemetry: Epidural and Deep Intracerebral Stereotaxic EEG Electrode Placement
Published on: June 25, 2016
Chuen-Der Kao1, Jen-Tse Chen, Kuan-Lin Lai
1Department of Neurology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Abstract:
A 48-year-old woman suddenly lost consciousness as a result of a right rostral pontine tegmentum haemorrhage. The patient presented with decerebrate rigidity (DR) and regained full consciousness 5 days after the initial onset. The patient was given gabapentin 1200 mg/day nasogastrically and her DR significantly improved, although other antiepileptic drugs such as phenytoin and carbamazepine were given in larger dosages to decrease muscle hypertonicity. The patients' preserved consciousness and motor-evoked potentials to transcranial magnetic stimulation indicated a derangement of the extrapyramidal tracts with preservation of the pyramidal tracts. This case report discusses the possible mechanisms of action of gabapentin in DR.
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