NMDA receptor antagonists memantine

Toggas SM, Masliah E, Mucke L (1996) Prevention of HIV-1 gpl20-induced neuronal damage in the central nervous system of transgenic mice by the NMDA receptor antagonist memantine. Brain Res 706 303-307... 

The key to successful brain protection for Alzheimer s disease is the newly introduced NMDA receptor antagonist, memantine. Family members should be advised that the protection provided by memantine will slow the progression of Alzheimer s disease, but it does not halt or reverse the course of the illness. Memantine is now commonly coadministered with a cholinesterase inhibitor. 

In terms of clinical proof of neuroprotective effects in chronic neurodegenerative diseases, so far there are promising clinical results in ATS only with riluzole, and even then, the increase of survival obtained was only modest. The failure of r emacemide in a recent study in Huntington s disease was clearly a big setback. On the other hand, the moderate-affinity NMDA receptor antagonist memantine provides clear symptomatic improvement in dementia in both clinical and preclinical situations, and the precHnical data predict neuroprotective effects, substantiated by numerous animal models. 

Kornhuber, J., and Quack, G. (1995). Cerebrospinal fluid and serum concentrations of the A-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist memantine in man. Nenro.sci. Lett. 195, 137-139. 

Popik, P., Kozela, E and Danysz, W. (2000). Clinically available NMDA receptor antagonists memantine and dextromethorphan reverse existing tolerance to the antinociceptive effects of morphine in mice. Naunyn-Sehmied. Arch Pharmacol. 361,... 

Schley M, Topfer S, Weich K, et al. Continuous brachial plexus blockade in combination with NMDA receptor antagonist memantine prevents phantom limb pain in acute traumatic upper limb amputees. 

Other developmental pretreatment options include NMDA receptor antagonist memantine in combination with atropine sulfate (Gupta and Dettbam, 1992 McLean et al., 1992), pre-exposiue loading with an excess of circulating ChE or BuChE (Bajgar et al., 2007 Lenz et al., 2008 Podoly et al., 2008 Saxena et al., 2008 Van der Schans et al., 2008 Masson, 2015), or CarbEs (Maxwell et al., 1987) to bind nerve agent before the agent can reach tissue AChE sites. 

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