Following surgery, patients often experience a cognitive impairment known as postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD). POCD is associated with residual levels of anesthetic drugs, critical illnesses, and major, secondary, or complication-occurring surgery. An increase in glutamate after surgery and the inhibition of NMDA and AMPA receptors are involved in the disruption of the inflammatory cascade in the central nervous system. Amantadine is an NMDA receptor antagonist that can prevent neurotoxicity associated with glutamate. A study in Behavioural Brain Research evaluated the potential neuroprotective effect of amantadine in mice when combined with administration of propofol. When performing the tail pinch test, the animals in the amantadine-only group showed a slight delay in pain response, suggesting an analgesic effect. When combined with propofol, cognitive performance improved in the Morris water maze task when compared to the propofol-only group. Co-administration also improved the recovery time from propofol exposure. These results show that co-administration with amantadine opens potential avenues for treating POCD in the future.
Original reference: Alaçam, B. et al. Behav. Brain Res. 477, 115290 (2024)
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