Effect of memantine on cue-induced alcohol craving in recovering alcohol-dependent patients.
OBJECTIVE
Ethanol blocks N-methyl-d-aspartic acid (NMDA) glutamate receptors. Increased NMDA receptor function may contribute to motivational disturbances that contribute to alcoholism. The authors assessed whether the NMDA receptor antagonist memantine reduces cue-induced alcohol craving and produces ethanol-like subjective effects.


METHODS
Thirty-eight alcohol-dependent inpatients participated in three daylong testing sessions in a randomized order under double-blind conditions. On each test day, subjects received 20 mg of memantine, 40 mg of memantine, or placebo, and subjective responses to treatment were assessed. The level of alcohol craving was assessed before and after exposure to an alcohol cue.


RESULTS
Memantine did not stimulate alcohol craving before exposure to an alcohol cue, and it attenuated alcohol cue-induced craving in a dose-related fashion. It produced dose-related ethanol-like effects without adverse cognitive or behavioral effects.


CONCLUSIONS
These data support further exploration of whether well-tolerated NMDA receptor antagonists might have a role in the treatment of alcoholism.
Krupitsky
Evgeny M
EM
Pavlov State Medical University, St. Petersburg, Russia.
Neznanova
Olga
O
Masalov
Dimitry
D
Burakov
Andrey M
AM
Didenko
Tatyana
T
Romanova
Tatyana
T
Tsoy
Marina
M
Bespalov
Anton
A
Slavina
Tatyana Y
TY
Grinenko
Alexander A
AA
Petrakis
Ismene L
IL
Pittman
Brian
B
Gueorguieva
Ralitza
R
Zvartau
Edwin E
EE
Krystal
John H
JH
D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology*; D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects; D003463:Cues; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008559:Memantine / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014706:Verbal Learning / Q000187:drug effects
D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; D000431:Ethanol; D008559:Memantine