The N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonist memantine retards progression of Huntington's disease.
According to the excitotoxicity hypothesis, neurotoxicity due to glutamate is regarded as potential factor in the progredient neurodegeneration of Huntington's disease (HD). Memantine, as a glutamate receptor antagonist, should counteract this mechanism. Its effectiveness (up to 30 mg/day) with regard to retardation of progression was thus examined in 27 HD patients in a two year, open and multicentre trial. The results suggest that memantine treatment of HD may be useful in terms of retardation of the progression of the disorder.
Beister
A
A
District Hospital, Taufkirchen/Vils, Germany.
Kraus
P
P
Kuhn
W
W
Dose
M
M
Weindl
A
A
Gerlach
M
M
D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000523:psychology; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D018450:Disease Progression; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006816:Huntington Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D008559:Memantine / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008875:Middle Aged; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000502:physiology
D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; D008559:Memantine