Study of Memantine to Treat Huntington's Disease

• Status: Completed
• Trial end date: 2009-10-28
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: All

Summary

To determine if memantine in doses of 10 mg BID affects memory, cognition, and behavior in patients with Huntington's disease (HD).

• Phase: Phase 4
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: No

Details

• Lead Sponsor: Jody Corey-Bloom, MD, PhD; University of California, San Diego
• Collaborator: Forest Laboratories
• Treatments: Memantine

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• Men or women aged 18 or older.

• Diagnosis of HD with current complaints of memory or concentration difficulties.

• Dementia Rating Scale score of <129, to ensure that patients have sufficient cognitive impairment.

• Adequate visual and auditory acuity to allow neuropsychological testing.

• Good general health with no additional diseases expected to interfere with the study.

• Patient is not institutionalized.

• Sufficient English skills to complete all testing without assistance of an English language interpreter.

• Availability of a responsible caregiver who agrees to supervise administration of study drug, monitor the patient's compliance and adverse events, and accompany the patient to all clinic visits.

Exclusion Criteria:

• 1. Any significant neurologic disease other than HD.

• Severe psychotic features or other severe psychiatric problems within the last three months which could lead to difficulty complying with the protocol.

• History of alcohol or substance abuse within the past two years (DSM IV criteria).

• Any significant systemic illness or unstable medical condition which could lead to difficulty complying with the protocol.

• History of MI in the past year or head trauma with loss of consciousness greater than 20 minutes.

• Insulin-requiring diabetes.

• Use of any FDA approved cognitive enhancing prescription medications or investigational drugs within 30 days.

• Use of ginkgo biloba or DHEA within four weeks prior to baseline.

• Use of narcotic analgesics within 4 weeks prior to baseline.

• Patients who, in the investigator's opinion, would not comply with study procedures.