Abstract
Memantine hydrochloride is a first-line therapeutic drug approved by the US Food and
Drug Administration for the management of moderate to severe Alzheimer’s disease (AD).
We conducted a review of the literature to determine the changes to the central glutamatergic
neurotransmitter system in dementia subtypes and the available clinical evidence regarding
the use of memantine in the treatment of different dementia subtypes. We conclude
from our review that memantine may be an effective therapeutic option in managing
AD, frontotemporal dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies, Parkinson’s disease dementia
and vascular dementia. When a diagnosis of the dementia subtype cannot be clearly
identified or when there is no clear therapeutic option, memantine may be simple and
safe.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
February 24,
2013
Received:
November 26,
2012
Identification
Copyright
© 2013 Elsevier Ltd. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
