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Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Study of Memantine in Alzheimer's Disease

The safety and scientific validity of this study is the responsibility of the study sponsor and investigators. Listing a study does not mean it has been evaluated by the U.S. Federal Government. Read our disclaimer for details.
 
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00551161
Recruitment Status : Completed
First Posted : October 30, 2007
Results First Posted : December 18, 2013
Last Update Posted : January 28, 2014
Sponsor:
Collaborator:
Forest Laboratories
Information provided by (Responsible Party):
Marc L Gordon, Northwell Health

Brief 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.

Condition or disease Intervention/treatment Phase
Alzheimer Disease Drug: memantine Phase 4

Detailed Description:

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia. The current US prevalence is estimated at over 4 million people, and it ranks as the 8th leading cause of mortality in the United States, accounting for over 60,000 deaths per year.

Memantine is the newest medication approved by the FDA for the treatment of AD. Since it works on a different transmitter system, it can be used in combination with the other FDA-approved treatments for AD, tacrine, donepezil, rivastigmine, or galantamine (collectively referred to as cholinesterase inhibitors).

It remains to be determined what effect currently available AD treatments have on the underlying structural and functional correlates of the dementia process. While preclinical evidence suggests that memantine decreases neuronal toxicity in vitro, it is not clear whether this translates into a beneficial effect in patients with AD.

One of the most pressing challenges underlying clinical trials in AD is the need to validate reliable surrogate biomarkers of disease progression. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) allows for in vivo detection and measurement of brain metabolites. The spectroscopic features that have been most consistently observed in AD patients, as compared with patients with other causes of dementia, or with normal subjects, have been elevated myo-inositol (mI) and reduced N-acetylaspartate (NAA) .

Evaluation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) via lumbar puncture affords a minimally invasive window into the biochemical substrate enveloping the brain. Multiple previous studies of AD patients compared with control subjects have demonstrated decreased CSF beta-amyloid, and elevated CSF tau protein. Previous longitudinal studies have documented the stability of CSF beta-amyloid over one year and CSF tau over two years in AD, suggesting that these may be possible stable target measures for therapeutic intervention.

The purpose of this study is to characterize the progression of disease using MRS, CSF biomarkers, and cognitive outcome measures in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease after 24 weeks of observational treatment with stable dose of a cholinesterase inhibitor, and after another 24 weeks of open-label memantine treatment in addition to stable dose of a cholinesterase inhibitor.

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Study Type : Interventional  (Clinical Trial)
Actual Enrollment : 12 participants
Allocation: N/A
Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary Purpose: Treatment
Official Title: An Open-label Exploratory Study With Memantine: Correlation Between Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy, Cerebrospinal Fluid Biomarkers, and Cognition in Patients With Mild to Moderate Alzheimer's Disease
Study Start Date : August 2007
Actual Primary Completion Date : December 2011
Actual Study Completion Date : December 2011


Arm Intervention/treatment
Experimental: single-arm
24-week observational lead-in period, wherein patients already on a stable dose of donepezil, rivastigmine, or galantamine continue on that dose, followed by a 24-week open-label memantine period, wherein patients receive open-label memantine treatment titrated to a dose of 20 mg per day, in addition to their ongoing stable cholinesterase inhibitor treatment
Drug: memantine
24-week observational lead-in period, wherein patients already on a stable dose of donepezil, rivastigmine, or galantamine continue on that dose, followed by a 24-week open-label memantine period, wherein patients receive open-label memantine treatment titrated to a dose of 10 mg orally b.i.d., in addition to their ongoing stable cholinesterase inhibitor treatment
Other Name: Namenda




Primary Outcome Measures :
  1. Changes in the Metabolite Ratios of N-acetylaspartate (NAA) to Creatine (Cr), Myo-inositol (mI) to Cr, Choline (Cho) to Cr, NAA to Cho, and NAA to mI, on Cholinesterase Monotherapy vs Combination of Memantine and Cholinesterase Inhibitor [ Time Frame: Baseline, 24 weeks, and 48 weeks ]
    Ratios of myo-inositol (mI), N-acetylaspartate (NAA), total creatine (Cr), and choline (Cho) by single voxel 1H MRS (proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy). Mean (± SD) metabolite levels (normalized to T2-corrected water signal intensity) and metabolite ratios for Alzheimer's disease subjects at baseline (t0), after 24 weeks of ongoing monotherapy with stable-dose cholinesterase inhibitor (t1), and after another 24 weeks of combination therapy with memantine in addition to stable-dose cholinesterase inhibitor (t2). The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to examine whether the change between t0 and t1 differed from the change between t1 and t2 [(t2 - t1) - (t1 - t0)].



Information from the National Library of Medicine

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Ages Eligible for Study:   50 Years and older   (Adult, Older Adult)
Sexes Eligible for Study:   All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers:   No
Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Written informed consent must be obtained from either the subject (if they have decisional capacity) or a Legally Authorized Representative (LAR) (as required by state or local law and the IRB), prior to the initiation of any study-specific procedures. (If a subject is unable to fully consent for himself/herself, but has capacity to appoint a research proxy, the legally authorized research proxy will be asked to sign consent, with the subject signing assent.)
  • Male or female outpatients at least 50 years of age at Screening.
  • If female, the patient must be at least two years postmenopausal or surgically sterile at Screening.
  • The patient has a current diagnosis of probable Alzheimer's disease consistent with NINCDS-ADRDA criteria.
  • The patient has a knowledgeable and reliable caregiver who will accompany the patient to all clinic visits during the course of the study.
  • Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score of at least 15 and not greater than 26 at Screening.
  • Ongoing therapy with a stable dose of donepezil, rivastigmine, or galantamine for at least three months at the time of Screening.
  • Physical examination, laboratory evaluations, and EKG results at Screening must be normal, or abnormal findings must be judged not clinically significant by the Investigator.
  • The patient's MRI scan conducted as part of Screening (Visit 1) must be consistent with a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, and must not include any findings that could confound the spectroscopic analysis of subsequent MRIs (e.g., large cortical stroke, tumor, or other space-occupying brain lesions).
  • Vision and hearing (hearing aid permissible) must be sufficient for compliance with testing procedures.
  • The patient and/or their Legally Authorized Representative, and their caregiver must be able to speak, read, and understand English sufficiently to understand the nature of the study, to provide written informed consent, and to allow completion of all study assessments.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Clinically significant vitamin B12 deficiency at Screening.
  • Patients with a modified Hachinski ischemia score greater than 4 at Screening.
  • Patients with evidence of clinically significant and active pulmonary, gastrointestinal, renal, hepatic, endocrine, or cardiovascular system disease. Patients with controlled hypertension and right bundle branch block (complete or partial) may be included in the study. Patients with thyroid disease may also be included in the study provided they are euthyroid on treatment. Patients with controlled diabetes may also be included.
  • Patients with severe renal impairment (estimated creatinine clearance < 35 mL/min).
  • Patients with systolic blood pressure (while sitting) greater then than 180 mm Hg or less then 90 mm Hg, or diastolic blood pressure (while sitting) greater than 100 mm Hg or less than 50 mm Hg at Screening.
  • Patients with evidence of other neurological disorders including, but not limited to, stroke, Parkinson's disease, seizure disorder, hydrocephalus, or head injury with loss of consciousness within the past five years at Screening.
  • Patients with a current DSM-IV Axis I disorder other than Alzheimer's disease, including schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder, current major depressive episode, psychosis, panic disorder, or post-traumatic stress disorder.
  • Patients with dementia complicated by other organic disease.
  • Patients who have had a previous brain scan (MRI or CT) with results inconsistent with a diagnosis of probable Alzheimer's disease.
  • Patients with an oncological diagnosis (hematological or solid tumor) which is currently being treated, or for which there has been treatment within the year preceding Screening, or for which there is still evidence of active disease. (Note: Patients with local dermatological tumors at such as basal or squamous cell carcinoma may be included.)
  • Patients with an object in the head or neck which would invalidate or obstruct the successful completion of an MRI scan, or patients who have other contraindications to MRI, including those with implanted ferromagnetic material or devices such as cardiac pacemakers, deep brain stimulators, cochlear implants, or intraocular metallic shards.
  • Patients who are claustrophobic and/or unable to tolerate MRI at Screening, or whom the Investigator believes will not be able to tolerate further scans scheduled during the course of the study.
  • Patients with a known or suspected history (within the past 5 years at Screening) of alcoholism or drug abuse.
  • Patients who are on an unstable dose of a cholinesterase inhibitor (donepezil, rivastigmine, or galantamine), are currently taking more than one cholinesterase inhibitor at Screening, who are likely to require a change in cholinesterase drug dose during the course of the study, or for whom a cholinesterase inhibitor therapy is contraindicated.
  • Patients with a history of severe drug allergy or hypersensitivity, or patients with known hypersensitivity to memantine, amantadine, rimantadine, or lactose.
  • Patients who have been previously treated with or have participated in an investigational study of neramexane, memantine, or amantadine.
  • Patients previously treated with commercial memantine.
  • Patients who have been in an investigational drug study or who have received treatment with an investigational drug within 30 days or 5 half-lives (whichever is longer) of Screening.
  • Patients or caregivers who are unwilling or unable to abide by the visit schedule and other requirements of the study.
  • Any condition which would make the patient or caregiver unsuitable for the study in the opinion of the Investigator.

Information from the National Library of Medicine

To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.

Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT00551161


Locations
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United States, New York
The Litwin-Zucker Research Center
Manhasset, New York, United States, 11030
Sponsors and Collaborators
Northwell Health
Forest Laboratories
Investigators
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Principal Investigator: Marc L Gordon, M.D. Northwell Health
Publications:
Buschke, H. Selective reminding for analysis of memory and learning. J Verb Learn and Verb Behav 12:543-550, 1975.

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Responsible Party: Marc L Gordon, MD, Northwell Health
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00551161    
Other Study ID Numbers: NAM-MD-50
First Posted: October 30, 2007    Key Record Dates
Results First Posted: December 18, 2013
Last Update Posted: January 28, 2014
Last Verified: December 2013
Keywords provided by Marc L Gordon, Northwell Health:
Alzheimer disease
memantine
cholinesterase inhibitors
magnetic resonance spectroscopy
N-acetylaspartate
inositol
cerebrospinal fluid
tau proteins
amyloid beta-protein
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
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Alzheimer Disease
Dementia
Brain Diseases
Central Nervous System Diseases
Nervous System Diseases
Tauopathies
Neurodegenerative Diseases
Neurocognitive Disorders
Mental Disorders
Memantine
Antiparkinson Agents
Anti-Dyskinesia Agents
Dopamine Agents
Neurotransmitter Agents
Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action
Physiological Effects of Drugs
Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists
Excitatory Amino Acid Agents