Da Re Fulvio, Rucci Francesco, Isella Valeria
From the Neurology Section, S. Gerardo Hospital, Monza, University of Milan, Bicocca, Italy.
J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2015 Winter;27(1):e10-3. doi: 10.1176/appi.neuropsych.13100226. Epub 2015 Jan 22.
The authors retrospectively reviewed the clinical records of 196 patients with dementia treated with memantine for at least 6 months. Eleven (5.6%) developed treatment-induced agitation. At chi-square analysis, they were significantly more likely to have a history of similar side effects from other medications acting on the central nervous system in comparison with the group without agitation, suggesting neurochemical susceptibility. A trend toward a significantly greater prevalence was also present for ischemic cardiopathy and neuroimaging evidence of chronic small vessel disease. Ischemic brain and heart disease might contribute through anatomical and functional alterations within the glutamatergic system.
