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Updated: Jun 8, 2026
Examining the Characteristics of Episodic Memory using Event-related Potentials in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease
Published on: August 30, 2011
Effect of memantine in Alzheimer's disease evaluated by visual-evoked potentials to pattern-reversal, motion-onset,
Zuzana Kubová1, Jan Kremláček, Martin Vališ
1Department of Pathophysiology-Electrophysiological Laboratory, Charles University, Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Králové, Czech Republic. kubova@lfhk.cuni.cz
Abstract:
The authors tested visual-evoked potentials to pattern-reversal, motion-onset, and visual cognitive event-related potentials in 17 patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease treated with Memantine (noncompetitive N-methyl-D-aspartic acid antagonist) to verify whether these objective methods can evaluate its therapeutic effect. The patients were examined before Memantine administration and after 3 and 6 months from the treatment onset. Besides electrophysiology, psychologic Alzheimer Disease Assessment Scale-cognitive part (ADAS-cog) test was also performed. Neither ADAS-cog nor any of the electrophysiological tests were able to prove a significant beneficial effect of Memantine therapy in our group of patients. The results of psychologic and electrophysiological tests did not correlate. An individual improvement of ADAS-cog score (decrease of score by 4 and more points) was present in only 29% of patients, improvement of event-related potentials (shortening of P300 peak latency by at least 20 milliseconds) occurred in 42% of patients. Conversely, in 52% of patients, Memantine therapy led to transitory decline of motion processing (delay of N2 peak latency of the motion-onset visual-evoked potentials by at least 10 milliseconds after the first 3 months of therapy, followed by return to pretherapy values in next 3 months).
Insights
Memantine therapy did not show significant benefits in Alzheimer's patients using cognitive tests or visual-evoked potentials. Objective electrophysiological measures did not correlate with cognitive improvements.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Clinical Neurology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder.
- Memantine, an N-methyl-D-aspartic acid antagonist, is used to treat moderate-to-severe AD.
- Objective electrophysiological markers are sought to evaluate therapeutic efficacy in AD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the therapeutic effect of Memantine in mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease.
- To evaluate the utility of visual-evoked potentials (VEPs) and event-related potentials (ERPs) in monitoring Memantine's efficacy.
- To compare electrophysiological findings with cognitive assessments.
Main Methods:
- 17 patients with mild-to-moderate AD received Memantine treatment.
- Visual-evoked potentials (pattern-reversal, motion-onset) and cognitive ERPs (P300) were recorded.
- Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-cognitive part (ADAS-cog) was administered at baseline, 3, and 6 months.
Main Results:
- No significant beneficial effect of Memantine was observed on ADAS-cog or electrophysiological measures.
- Individual improvements were noted in 29% (ADAS-cog) and 42% (P300 latency) of patients.
- A transient decline in motion processing was observed in 52% of patients during the first 3 months.
Conclusions:
- Memantine did not demonstrate a significant therapeutic effect in this cohort of mild-to-moderate AD patients.
- Current electrophysiological tests and ADAS-cog did not correlate and were unable to objectively validate Memantine's efficacy.
- Further research is needed to identify reliable biomarkers for AD treatment response.
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