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American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias logoLink to American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias
. 2004 Jan-Feb;19(1):10–18. doi: 10.1177/153331750401900103

Memantine: An antiglutamatergic option for dementia

Jose L Molinuevo 1, Vicente Garcia-Gil 2, Amparo Villar 3
PMCID: PMC10833856  PMID: 15002339

Abstract

Alzheimer i disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia in occidental countries. Currently approved treatments for AD provide mainly symptomatic benefits without clear evidence of neuroprotection. N-methyl-D-aspartate (NADA) receptor antagonists have therapeutic potential in several central nervous system disorders, including neuroprotective treatment in chronic neurodegenerative diseases, and symptomatic treatment in other neurologic diseases. Memantine, an NMDA antagonist, has been recently approvedfor the treatment of advanced AD. Due to its mechanism of action, memantine is considered a neuroprotective drug, whose utility has been demonstrated in preclinical studies. In addition, memantine is a useful symptomatic treatmentfor AD and vascular dementia. This paper reviews both aspects of memantine as well as some basic mechanisms mediating cognition and glutamatergic neurodegeneration.

Keywords: memantine, Alzheimer's disease, dementia, NMDA, neuroprotective treatment

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Contributor Information

Jose L. Molinuevo, Unitat Memoria-Alzheimer, Institut Clinic Malalties del Sistema Nervios (ICMSN), Hospital Clinic i Universitari, Barcelona, Spain.

Vicente Garcia-Gil, Unitat Memoria-Alzheimer, ICMSN, Hospital Clinic i Universitari, Barcelona, Spain.

Amparo Villar, Unitat Memoria-Alzheimer, ICMSN, Hospital Clinic i Universitari, Barcelona, Spain.

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