Pharmacologic Substance
memantine hydrochloride
[ meh-mun-teen hy-droh-klor-ide ]
Effect:
Decreased Central Nervous System Glutamate Activity
May Treat:
Alzheimer Disease
More Information:
Definitions related to memantine hydrochloride:
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A drug used to treat dementia caused by Alzheimer disease. It is also being studied in the treatment of side effects from whole-brain radiation therapy for cancer and other conditions. Memantine hydrochloride blocks the uptake of calcium by certain brain cells and decreases their activity. It is a type of N-methyl-D-asparatate (NMDA) receptor antagonist.NCI Dictionary of Cancer TermsU.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
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The hydrochloride salt of memantine, a low-affinity, voltage-dependent, noncompetitive N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist. Memantine binds to and inhibits cation channels of glutamanergic NMDA receptors located in the central nervous system (CNS), preventing the prolonged influx of calcium ions and the associated neuronal excitotoxicity, and thereby potentially enhancing cognitive function. Memantine is also a 5-hydroxytryptamine type 3 (5HT3) receptor and nicotinic receptor antagonist.NCI ThesaurusU.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
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