[Study of hemantane effects in rats on a model of early (premotor) stage of Parkinson's disease].

Presymptomatic (premotor) stage of Parkinson's disease has been modeled in rats by intranigral bilateral injections of neurotoxin MPTP. Three weeks after surgery, rats demonstrated cognitive deficit and depressive-like behavior without definite motor impairment. Pretreatment with hemantane (10 mg/kg) and the reference drug amantadine (20 mg/kg) 5 days before MPTP and further administration during 3 weeks after MPTP preserve cognitive function and prevented depressive disturbances in rats. The antidepressive effect of hemantane was more pronounced than that of amantadine. Results obtained, together with data on hemantane mechanism of action, allow hemantane to be considered as a promising drug for the treatment of Parkinson's disease with potential to decrease the rate of disease progression when administered on early stages.