Sheng-Yu Lee, Shiou-Lan Chen, Yun-Hsuan Chang, Po See Chen, San-Yuan Huang, Nian-Sheng Tzeng, Liang-Jen Wang, I Hui Lee, Tzu-Yun Wang, Kao Chin Chen, Yen Kuang Yang, Jau-Shyong Hong, Ru-Band Lu
Low-dose memantine might have anti-inflammatory and neurotrophic effects mechanistically remote from an NMDA receptor. We investigated whether add-on memantine reduced cytokine levels and benefitted patients with opioid dependence undergoing methadone maintenance therapy (MMT) in a randomized, double-blind, controlled 12-week study. Patients were randomly assigned to a group: Memantine (5 mg/day) (n = 53) or Placebo (n = 75). The methadone dose required and retention in treatment were monitored. Plasma tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels were examined during weeks 0, 1, 4, 8, and 12...
2015: Scientific Reports