The present study investigated the effects of a single oral dose (30 mg) of the non-competitive N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist memantine on memory and learning in human subjects. Sixteen male healthy volunteers participated in a double blind placebo controlled study. There were no significant effects of memantine on mood, attention or immediate and delayed verbal and visuospatial memory. Memantine did, however, delay the acquisition of classical eyeblink conditioning and reduced the overall frequency of conditioned responses without affecting reflex or spontaneous eyeblinks. These findings are compatible with the higher affinity of memantine to cerebellar as compared to forebrain tissue and demonstrate the dissociability of different memory systems by pharmacological tools.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0304-3940(97)13452-8 | DOI Listing |
Sci Rep
January 2025
Department of Histology and Embryology, Ankara University School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
NMDAR antagonists, such as memantine and ketamine, have shown efficacy in treating neurodegenerative diseases and major depression. The mechanism by which these drugs correct the aforementioned diseases is still unknown. Our study reveals that these antagonists significantly enhance 20S proteasome activity, crucial for degrading intrinsically disordered, oxidatively damaged, or misfolded proteins, factors pivotal in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCNS Drugs
January 2025
New York State Psychiatric Institute, 1051 Riverside Drive, New York, NY, 10032, USA.
J Clin Med
December 2024
Division of Biostatistics and Neural Networks, Medical University of Gdansk, Debinki 1 St., 80-211 Gdansk, Poland.
: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is employed to adjust the activity of impaired brain circuits. The variability in clinical trial outcomes for treating Alzheimer's disease with memantine is not yet fully understood. We conducted a randomized in silico study comparing virtual DBS therapies with treatment involving an NMDA antagonist combined with DBS in patients with Alzheimer's disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBrain Sci
November 2024
Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, Baltimore, MD 21215, USA.
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that affects over 1% of population over age 60. It is defined by motor and nonmotor symptoms including a spectrum of cognitive impairments known as Parkinson's disease dementia (PDD). Currently, the only US Food and Drug Administration-approved treatment for PDD is rivastigmine, which inhibits acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase increasing the level of acetylcholine in the brain.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArch Pharm (Weinheim)
January 2025
Department of Pharmacognosy, University Institute of Pharma Sciences, Chandigarh University, Mohali, Punjab, India.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a prevalent neurological illness that affects over 80% of aged adults globally in cases of dementia. Although the exact pathophysiological causes of AD remain unclear, its pathogenesis is primarily driven by several distinct biochemical alterations: (i) the accumulation of toxic Aβ plaques, (ii) the hyperphosphorylation of tau proteins, (iii) oxidative stress resulting in cell death, and (iv) an imbalance between the two main neurotransmitters, glutamate and acetylcholine (ACh). Currently, there are very few medications available and no treatment.
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