Milacemide and other drugs active at glutamate NMDA receptors as potential treatment for dementia.
Interest in the NMDA receptor as a key mechanism in long-term potentiation and possibly improved learning and memory has led to the development of milacemide as a prodrug for glycine, a modulator of the NMDA receptor. Trials of milacemide in doses ranging from 400-1,200 mg once daily in Alzheimer's disease (AD) for 4 weeks have been disappointing, but milacemide has increased the accuracy and speed of word retrieval in human volunteers. The failure of milacemide in AD has led to an interest in partial agonists of the glycine-B site in the hope of obtaining a better clinical response.
Herting
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Searle Research and Development, Skokie, Illinois 60077.
D000081:Acetamides / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005971:Glutamates / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008996:Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010919:Placebos; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate
D000081:Acetamides; D005971:Glutamates; D008996:Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors; D010919:Placebos; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; C039332:milacemide