07:51 AM CDT on Wednesday, June 30, 2004
By JANET ST. JAMES / WFAA-TV
Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas

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A drug therapy under study targets the pathways of the brain that control emotions.

Zoot Wilson has Lou Gehrig's disease. He is being treated for one of its side effects: uncontrollable laughter. "He was humored by things that weren't necessarily appropriate or as funny as he thought them to be," said his wife, Marysa.

The neurological disorder is to blame. "I laughed at stuff that wasn't funny, but I was very frustrated," Zoot Wilson said.

A drug therapy under study targets the pathways of the brain that control emotions. "It may be in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain," explained neurologist Dr. Ralph W. Richter. "It may also be deeper in the thalamus, which in some sense is the soul—is the seat of the soul, or emotion."

Zoot Wilson now takes AVP-923 every day. "I'm just happier," he said. "My emotions are more even."

Researchers said the study is also helping uncontrollable laughter sometimes seen in patients with memory loss or depression