Archive 1995–2023
1997, volume 13, issue 3
Article
Amantadine and its derivatives – drugs of many possibilities?
Farmakoterapia w Psychiatrii i Neurologii, 1997, 3, 24-39
Summary
Amantadine as antiparkinsonian and antiviral agent and memantine as antispastic agent have been used clinically for many years. Initially, a concept of dopaminergic mode of their action predominated, mainly due to lack of alternatives. However, recently it has been established that both are antagonists of the NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) glutamate receptor. The authors present here a new views on the mechanisms of their action and recent clinical data indicating that their therapeutic use can be much broader than originally expected.