Clinical Medicine Reviews in Therapeutics

Zonisamide is a benzoisoxazole derivate with a multimodal mechanism of action that is widely available as antieplieptic drug. Serpendipitously discovered to exert beneficial effects on motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD), zonisamide has been approved exclusively in Japan for the adjunctive treatment of Parkinsonian symptoms after the positive results of three controlled clinical trials. The current review gives a resumé of the main findings of clinical trials and casuistic reports of the effects of zonisamide in PD with special emphasis on possible mechanisms of action and adverse effects. Summarized, at that time, the use of zonisamide in PD is still investigational; further studies are warranted to confirm the preliminary promising findings and to better define effects, indications and tolerability of zonisamide in PD.