A 6-month, open-label study of memantine in patients with frontotemporal dementia.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate safety and effects on cognition and behavior of memantine 20 mg/day in the treatment of patients with frontotemporal dementia (FTD).


METHODS
This was a single-center, 6-month, open, uncontrolled study. Sixteen outpatients with a diagnosis of FTD were enrolled.


RESULTS
On the CIBIC plus 26 weeks after baseline four of the 16 patients were minimally improved, four were unchanged, seven were minimally worse and one patient was moderately worse. Neither the Neuropsychiatric Inventory nor the Frontal Behavioral Inventory demonstrated statistically significant differences in behavior between baseline and final visit. There was an increase in the total Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale score, reflecting a decline in cognitive performance. Executive functions as well as activities of daily living and extrapyramidal motor symptoms (EPMS) remained unchanged during the trial.


CONCLUSIONS
The number of patients was small, so that the evidence given by statistical tests is limited. Thus, the present study can only show trends regarding drug effects. As memantine is well-tolerated, further randomized and controlled studies should be conducted to evaluate drug efficacy.
Diehl-Schmid
Janine
J
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany. janine.diehl@lrz.tum.de
Förstl
Hans
H
Perneczky
Robert
R
Pohl
Corina
C
Kurz
Alexander
A
D000368:Aged; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D003704:Dementia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D015259:Dopamine Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004522:Educational Status; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008559:Memantine / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010349:Patient Compliance; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D015259:Dopamine Agents; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; D008559:Memantine