Memantine as treatment for compulsivity in child and adolescent psychiatry: Descriptive findings from an incompleted randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
Niemeyer, Larissa; Mechler, Konstantin; Dittmann, Ralf W.; Banaschewski, Tobias; Buitelaar, Jan; Durston, Sarah; Häge, Alexander
(2022) Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications, volume 29
(Article)
Abstract
Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are mental disorders with a considerable overlap in terms of their defining symptoms. The glutamatergic agent memantine appears to be a promising candidate for the treatment of ASD and OCD in children and adolescents. The aim of this study was to
... read more
investigate the clinical efficacy and tolerability/safety of memantine in this population. Methods: This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled multicenter add-on trial comprised patients aged 6 to 17; 9 years with a confirmed diagnosis of ASD and/or OCD. Participants were randomized to either memantine or placebo for 10 consecutive weeks, including an up-titration phase. Results: A total of 7 patients were included in the study. N = 4 (57.1%) participants were treated with verum (memantine) and n = 3 (42.9%) received placebo. Patients receiving memantine showed a more pronounced reduction in their CY-BOCS score, as well as greater CGI-Improvement, compared to patients receiving placebo. No serious adverse events (SAEs) were reported. Conclusions: Our findings, although based on a very small number of patients and therefore insufficient to draw clear conclusions, appear to be in line with the hypothesis that memantine is an effective, tolerable and safe agent for children and adolescents. Trial registration: EudraCT Number: 2014-003080-38, Registered 14 July 2014, https://www.clinicaltrialsregister.eu/ctr-search/search?query=2014-003080-38.
show less
Download/Full Text
Keywords: Autism, Child and adolescent psychiatry, Clinical trial, Glutamate, Memantine, Obsessive-compulsive disorder, Obsessive -compulsive disorder, Pharmacology, Journal Article
ISSN: 2451-8654
Publisher: Elsevier
Note: Funding Information: The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Community's Seventh Framework Program ( FP7/2007–2013 ) TACTICS under grant agreement no. 278948. This manuscript refiects only the authors' views and the European Union is not liable for any use that may be made of the information contained therein. Funding Information: The present study is the first to investigate memantine treatment of compulsivity in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), in an add-on, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design. Clinical efficacy (improving symptoms of compulsivity) and tolerability/safety of the glutamatergic agent memantine were investigated in this population at four university-based clinical study sites: (1) Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Mannheim, Germany; (2) Departments of Neuroimaging and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, United Kingdom; (3) Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Brain Center Rudolf, University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands, and (4) Karakter Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. This placebo-controlled clinical trial (GOAT trial (Glutamatergic medication in the treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder)) was part of the large, translational project TACTICS (Translational Adolescent and Childhood Therapeutic Interventions in Compulsive Syndromes; http://www.tactics-project.eu/ ) funded by the European Union (EudraCT Number: 2014-003080-38) [ 36 ]. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Authors
(Peer reviewed)
