Effect of memantine (NMDA antagonist) on Parkinson's disease: A double-blind crossover randomized study.

Evaluated the effect of memantine on cardinal symptoms of Parkinson's disease and on the latency, duration, and magnitude of the response to a single dose of L-Dopa and on drug-induced dyskinesias. 12 Hoehn-Yahr III-IV patients (aged 51–67 yrs) with idiopathic Parkinson's disease with motor fluctuations and drug-induced dyskinesias were randomized to the NMDA antagonist memantine or placebo in a cross-over design. A single-dose L-Dopa challenge was performed after each medication arm. A significant drug effect on the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale motor score was observed in "off" and "on" states. No significant effect on drug-induced dyskinesias was seen. The results suggest that memantine may improve parkinsonian symptoms independently of dopaminergic drugs and, in contrast to findings with amantadine, it has no effect on drug-induced dyskinesias. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)