Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Study of Memantine in Alzheimer's Disease
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2011-12-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
We are studying subjects with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease who have been on a stable
dose of any cholinesterase inhibitor [donepezil (Aricept), rivastigmine (Exelon), or
galantamine (Razadyne)] for at least 3 months, and have not previously taken memantine
(Namenda). This is an open-label study, with magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) as the
primary outcome measure, along with neuropsychological testing, and optional lumbar puncture,
evaluating patients on their stable dose of a cholinesterase inhibitor over 24 weeks,
followed by another 24 weeks on memantine in combination with stable dose of cholinesterase
inhibitor. The purpose of this study is to characterize the progression of disease using MRS,
cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers, and cognitive outcome measures, and to determine
whether changes in cognitive function on neuropsychological testing are correlated to changes
in MR spectroscopic and/or CSF biomarkers.