Journal article

Add-On MEmaNtine to Dopamine Antagonism to Improve Negative Symptoms at First Psychosis- the AMEND Trial Protocol

KO Sandström, OB Baltzersen, A Marsman, CK Lemvigh, VO Boer, KB Bojesen, M Nielsen, H Lundell, DK Sulaiman, ME Sørensen, B Fagerlund, AC Lahti, WT Syeda, C Pantelis, ET Petersen, BY Glenthøj, HR Siebner, BH Ebdrup

Frontiers in Psychiatry | Published : 2022

Abstract

Background: Antipsychotic drugs are primarily efficacious in treating positive symptoms by blocking the dopamine D2 receptor, but they fail to substantially improve negative symptoms and cognitive deficits. The limited efficacy may be attributed to the fact that the pathophysiology of psychosis involves multiple neurotransmitter systems. In patients with chronic schizophrenia, memantine, a non-competitive glutamatergic NMDA receptor antagonist, shows promise for ameliorating negative symptoms and improving cognition. Yet, it is unknown how memantine modulates glutamate levels, and memantine has not been investigated in patients with first-episode psychosis. Aims: This investigator-initiated ..

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University of Melbourne Researchers