Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Study of Memantine in Alzheimer's Disease
Study Details
Study Description
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 |
---|---|---|
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.
Study Design
Arms and Interventions
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 Names:
|
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcome Measures
- 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 [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)].
Eligibility Criteria
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.)
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Male or female outpatients at least 50 years of age at Screening.
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If female, the patient must be at least two years postmenopausal or surgically sterile at Screening.
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The patient has a current diagnosis of probable Alzheimer's disease consistent with NINCDS-ADRDA criteria.
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The patient has a knowledgeable and reliable caregiver who will accompany the patient to all clinic visits during the course of the study.
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Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score of at least 15 and not greater than 26 at Screening.
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Ongoing therapy with a stable dose of donepezil, rivastigmine, or galantamine for at least three months at the time of Screening.
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Physical examination, laboratory evaluations, and EKG results at Screening must be normal, or abnormal findings must be judged not clinically significant by the Investigator.
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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).
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Vision and hearing (hearing aid permissible) must be sufficient for compliance with testing procedures.
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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:
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Clinically significant vitamin B12 deficiency at Screening.
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Patients with a modified Hachinski ischemia score greater than 4 at Screening.
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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.
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Patients with severe renal impairment (estimated creatinine clearance < 35 mL/min).
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Patients with dementia complicated by other organic disease.
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Patients who have had a previous brain scan (MRI or CT) with results inconsistent with a diagnosis of probable Alzheimer's disease.
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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.)
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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.
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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.
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Patients with a known or suspected history (within the past 5 years at Screening) of alcoholism or drug abuse.
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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.
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Patients with a history of severe drug allergy or hypersensitivity, or patients with known hypersensitivity to memantine, amantadine, rimantadine, or lactose.
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Patients who have been previously treated with or have participated in an investigational study of neramexane, memantine, or amantadine.
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Patients previously treated with commercial memantine.
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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.
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Patients or caregivers who are unwilling or unable to abide by the visit schedule and other requirements of the study.
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Any condition which would make the patient or caregiver unsuitable for the study in the opinion of the Investigator.
Contacts and Locations
Locations
Site | City | State | Country | Postal Code | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | The Litwin-Zucker Research Center | Manhasset | New York | United States | 11030 |
Sponsors and Collaborators
- Northwell Health
- Forest Laboratories
Investigators
- Principal Investigator: Marc L Gordon, M.D., Northwell Health
Study Documents (Full-Text)
None provided.More Information
Publications
- Adalsteinsson E, Sullivan EV, Kleinhans N, Spielman DM, Pfefferbaum A. Longitudinal decline of the neuronal marker N-acetyl aspartate in Alzheimer's disease. Lancet. 2000 May 13;355(9216):1696-7.
- Anderson RN, Smith BL. Deaths: leading causes for 2002. Natl Vital Stat Rep. 2005 Mar 7;53(17):1-89.
- Andreasen N, Hesse C, Davidsson P, Minthon L, Wallin A, Winblad B, Vanderstichele H, Vanmechelen E, Blennow K. Cerebrospinal fluid beta-amyloid(1-42) in Alzheimer disease: differences between early- and late-onset Alzheimer disease and stability during the course of disease. Arch Neurol. 1999 Jun;56(6):673-80.
- Benton A, Hannay HJ, Varney NR. Visual perception of line direction in patients with unilateral brain disease. Neurology. 1975 Oct;25(10):907-10.
- Buschke H, Fuld PA. Evaluating storage, retention, and retrieval in disordered memory and learning. Neurology. 1974 Nov;24(11):1019-25.
- Buschke, H. Selective reminding for analysis of memory and learning. J Verb Learn and Verb Behav 12:543-550, 1975.
- Chen HS, Pellegrini JW, Aggarwal SK, Lei SZ, Warach S, Jensen FE, Lipton SA. Open-channel block of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) responses by memantine: therapeutic advantage against NMDA receptor-mediated neurotoxicity. J Neurosci. 1992 Nov;12(11):4427-36.
- Cohen JR, Elvevåg B, Goldberg TE. Cognitive control and semantics in schizophrenia: an integrated approach. Am J Psychiatry. 2005 Oct;162(10):1969-71.
- Dixon RM, Bradley KM, Budge MM, Styles P, Smith AD. Longitudinal quantitative proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy of the hippocampus in Alzheimer's disease. Brain. 2002 Oct;125(Pt 10):2332-41.
- Frederick BD, Lyoo IK, Satlin A, Ahn KH, Kim MJ, Yurgelun-Todd DA, Cohen BM, Renshaw PF. In vivo proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy of the temporal lobe in Alzheimer's disease. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2004 Dec;28(8):1313-22.
- Hamsher KD, Roberts RJ. Memory for recent U.S. presidents in patients with cerebral disease. J Clin Exp Neuropsychol. 1985 Feb;7(1):1-13.
- Hoyert DL, Kung HC, Smith BL. Deaths: preliminary data for 2003. Natl Vital Stat Rep. 2005 Feb 28;53(15):1-48.
- Huang W, Alexander GE, Chang L, Shetty HU, Krasuski JS, Rapoport SI, Schapiro MB. Brain metabolite concentration and dementia severity in Alzheimer's disease: a (1)H MRS study. Neurology. 2001 Aug 28;57(4):626-32.
- Jessen F, Traeber F, Freymann K, Maier W, Schild HH, Block W. Treatment monitoring and response prediction with proton MR spectroscopy in AD. Neurology. 2006 Aug 8;67(3):528-30.
- Keilhoff G, Wolf G. Memantine prevents quinolinic acid-induced hippocampal damage. Eur J Pharmacol. 1992 Sep 4;219(3):451-4.
- Lin A, Ross BD, Harris K, Wong W. Efficacy of proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy in neurological diagnosis and neurotherapeutic decision making. NeuroRx. 2005 Apr;2(2):197-214. Review.
- Linker G, Mirza N, Manetti G, Meyer M, Putnam KT, Sunderland T. Fine-needle, negative-pressure lumbar puncture: a safe technique for collecting CSF. Neurology. 2002 Dec 24;59(12):2008-9.
- Miguel-Hidalgo JJ, Alvarez XA, Cacabelos R, Quack G. Neuroprotection by memantine against neurodegeneration induced by beta-amyloid(1-40). Brain Res. 2002 Dec 20;958(1):210-21.
- Modrego PJ, Fayed N, Pina MA. Conversion from mild cognitive impairment to probable Alzheimer's disease predicted by brain magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Am J Psychiatry. 2005 Apr;162(4):667-75.
- Rose SE, de Zubicaray GI, Wang D, Galloway GJ, Chalk JB, Eagle SC, Semple J, Doddrell DM. A 1H MRS study of probable Alzheimer's disease and normal aging: implications for longitudinal monitoring of dementia progression. Magn Reson Imaging. 1999 Feb;17(2):291-9.
- Sunderland T, Wolozin B, Galasko D, Levy J, Dukoff R, Bahro M, Lasser R, Motter R, Lehtimäki T, Seubert P. Longitudinal stability of CSF tau levels in Alzheimer patients. Biol Psychiatry. 1999 Sep 15;46(6):750-5.
- Waldman AD, Rai GS. The relationship between cognitive impairment and in vivo metabolite ratios in patients with clinical Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia: a proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy study. Neuroradiology. 2003 Aug;45(8):507-12. Epub 2003 Jul 22.
- NAM-MD-50
Study Results
Participant Flow
Recruitment Details | August, 2007 through May, 2010, at the Litwin-Zucker Research Center |
---|---|
Pre-assignment Detail |
Arm/Group Title | Memantine |
---|---|
Arm/Group Description | 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 |
Period Title: Overall Study | |
STARTED | 12 |
COMPLETED | 11 |
NOT COMPLETED | 1 |
Baseline Characteristics
Arm/Group Title | Single-arm |
---|---|
Arm/Group Description | 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 |
Overall Participants | 12 |
Age (Count of Participants) | |
<=18 years |
0
0%
|
Between 18 and 65 years |
0
0%
|
>=65 years |
12
100%
|
Age (years) [Mean (Standard Deviation) ] | |
Mean (Standard Deviation) [years] |
76.1
(7.5)
|
Sex: Female, Male (Count of Participants) | |
Female |
5
41.7%
|
Male |
7
58.3%
|
Region of Enrollment (participants) [Number] | |
United States |
12
100%
|
Outcome Measures
Title | 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 |
---|---|
Description | 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)]. |
Time Frame | Baseline, 24 weeks, and 48 weeks |
Outcome Measure Data
Analysis Population Description |
---|
Per protocol |
Arm/Group Title | Memantine |
---|---|
Arm/Group Description | 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 |
Measure Participants | 11 |
Change in NAA [(t2-t1) - (t1-t0)] |
-54
(102)
|
Change in Cr [(t2-t1) - (t1-t0)] |
-2
(36)
|
Change in Cho [(t2-t1) - (t1-t0)] |
9
(12)
|
Change in mI [(t2-t1) - (t1-t0)] |
16
(23)
|
Change in NAA/Cr [(t2-t1) - (t1-t0)] |
-0.09
(0.15)
|
Change in Cho/Cr [(t2-t1) - (t1-t0)] |
0.02
(0.06)
|
Change in mI/Cr [(t2-t1) - (t1-t0)] |
0.04
(0.08)
|
Change in NAA/Cho [(t2-t1) - (t1-t0)] |
-0.26
(0.39)
|
Change in NAA/mI [(t2-t1) - (t1-t0)] |
-0.35
(0.50)
|
Statistical Analysis 1
Statistical Analysis Overview | Comparison Group Selection | Memantine |
---|---|---|
Comments | 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)] for each of the metabolites and ratios, in order to examine whether the rate of change differed while on monotherapy as compared with combination therapy. | |
Type of Statistical Test | Superiority or Other | |
Comments | ||
Statistical Test of Hypothesis | p-Value | <0.05 |
Comments | Due to the exploratory nature of these analyses, no adjustment for multiple testing was made. Although it would have been preferable to carry out an omnibus analysis, due to the small sample size, the descriptive approach described above was used. | |
Method | Wilcoxon (Mann-Whitney) | |
Comments |
Adverse Events
Time Frame | ||
---|---|---|
Adverse Event Reporting Description | ||
Arm/Group Title | Single-arm | |
Arm/Group Description | 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 | |
All Cause Mortality |
||
Single-arm | ||
Affected / at Risk (%) | # Events | |
Total | / (NaN) | |
Serious Adverse Events |
||
Single-arm | ||
Affected / at Risk (%) | # Events | |
Total | 0/12 (0%) | |
Other (Not Including Serious) Adverse Events |
||
Single-arm | ||
Affected / at Risk (%) | # Events | |
Total | 0/12 (0%) |
Limitations/Caveats
More Information
Certain Agreements
Principal Investigators are NOT employed by the organization sponsoring the study.
There is NOT an agreement between Principal Investigators and the Sponsor (or its agents) that restricts the PI's rights to discuss or publish trial results after the trial is completed.
Results Point of Contact
Name/Title | Marc L. Gordon,MD |
---|---|
Organization | North Shore-LIJ Health System |
Phone | 516-562-3492 |
MLGordon@nshs.edu |
- NAM-MD-50