NCT00001930

Treatment of Huntington's Chorea With Amantadine

NMDA-Receptor Blockade in Huntington's Chorea

• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 2
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 25 (planned)
• Sponsor: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) · NIH
• Sex: All
• Age: —
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

Huntington's disease is a chronic disorder passed on through genetic autosomal dominant inheritance. The condition usually begins between the ages of 30 and 50 years and it is characterized by involuntary movements in the face and extremities, (chorea), accompanied by changes in behavior and gradual loss of the mental function. The disease typically ends in a state of disorientation, impaired memory, judgement, and intellect (dementia). The objective of this study is to test the effectiveness of the drug amantadine for the treatment of chorea associated with Huntington's disease. Amantadine is an antiviral drug that has been used to treat a variety of illnesses including Parkinson's disease. Amantadine works by attaching to special sites called NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptors and blocking the normal activity of glutamate there. Glutamate is an amino acid released by brain cells and has been associated with the symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

Detailed description

The objective of this study is to evaluate the acute effects of the putative NMDA-receptor antagonist amantadine on chorea of patients with Huntington's disease (HD). Participants in this study will have mild to moderate HD associated with chorea.

Conditions

• Chorea
• Huntington's Disease

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DRUG	Amantadine

Timeline

• Start date: 1999-04-01
• Completion: 2001-02-01
• First posted: 2002-12-10
• Last updated: 2008-03-04

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States