DrugLib.com — Drug Information Portal

Rx drug information, pharmaceutical research, clinical trials, news, and more



D-cycloserine treatment of Alzheimer disease.

Author(s): Randolph C, Roberts JW, Tierney MC, Bravi D, Mouradian MM, Chase TN

Affiliation(s): Experimental Therapeutics Branch, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.

Publication date & source: 1994-09, Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord., 8(3):198-205.

Publication type: Clinical Trial; Randomized Controlled Trial

Degeneration of cortical glutamatergic projections may contribute to the cognitive decline in Alzheimer disease (AD). To evaluate whether 1glutamate system stimulation might confer symptomatic benefit, we administered D-cycloserine, a putative partial indirect agonist at certain N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) glutamate receptors, to 12 patients with probable AD. The patients (seven men, five women) had a mean age of 65 +/- 8.4 years; Mini Mental State Examination scores ranged from 15 to 25. A dose escalation phase, in which cycloserine was given in daily oral doses from 25 to 500 mg (total of six dose levels, 1 week per dose), was followed by a "best dose" crossover comparison with placebo under double-blind conditions. The crossover phase consisted of 2 weeks of cycloserine and 2 weeks of placebo, separated by a 1-week washout period. We observed no significant or consistent effect on neuropsychological outcome measures. The results suggest that short-term potentiation of NMDA-mediated glutamatergic transmission may not prove useful in the symptomatic treatment of Alzheimer dementia.

Page last updated: 2006-01-31

-- advertisement -- The American Red Cross
 
Home | About Us | Contact Us | Site usage policy | Privacy policy

All Rights reserved - Copyright DrugLib.com, 2006-2017