1997 issue 3

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Volume 13, issue 3

Article

Amantadine and its derivatives – drugs of many possibilities?

Jerzy Maj1, Wojciech Danysz2
1. Instytut Farmakologii PAN, Kraków
2. Zakład Farmakologii, Merz+Co., Frankfurt n. Menem
Farmakoterapia w Psychiatrii i Neurologii, 1997, 3, 24-39

Abstract

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.