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A 24-week randomized, controlled trial of memantine in patients with moderate-to-severe Alzheimer disease
van Dyck CH, Tariot PN, Meyers B, Malca Resnick E, Memantine MEM-MD-01 Study Group.. Alzheimer disease and associated disorders, 2007-04-01
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
This study examined the efficacy and safety of memantine monotherapy in patients with moderate-to-severe Alzheimer disease (AD). Patients not receiving a cholinesterase inhibitor (N=350) were randomized to receive memantine (20 mg/d) or placebo during this 24-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Prospectively defined analyses failed to demonstrate a statistically significant benefit of memantine treatment compared with placebo on the Severe Impairment Battery (SIB) at week 24 end point, although a significant advantage was observed for memantine at weeks 12 and 18. The 19-item Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study-Activities of Daily Living Scale (ADCS-ADL19) did not differ significantly between groups in any analysis. Clinician's Interview-Based Impression of Change plus Caregiver Input (CIBIC-Plus) did not significantly favor memantine at week 24 despite a significant advantage for memantine at weeks 12 and 18. Other secondary outcomes showed no significant treatment differences. Post hoc analyses of potentially confounding covariates and alternative methods of imputing missing data did not substantially alter the results. Because of the violations of normality assumptions for the SIB and ADCS-ADL19, nonparametric analyses were performed; statistically significant benefit of memantine over placebo was demonstrated at week 24 for the SIB but not the ADCS-ADL19. The type and incidence of adverse events were similar in both groups.
Key findings
- Prospectively defined analyses failed to demonstrate a statistically significant benefit of memantine treatment compared with placebo on the Severe Impairment Battery (SIB) at week 24 end point, although a significant advantage was observed for memantine at weeks 12 and 18.
- The 19-item Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study-Activities of Daily Living Scale (ADCS-ADL19) did not differ significantly between groups in any analysis.
- Clinician's Interview-Based Impression of Change plus Caregiver Input (CIBIC-Plus) did not significantly favor memantine at week 24 despite a significant advantage for memantine at weeks 12 and 18.
- Other secondary outcomes showed no significant treatment differences.
- Post hoc analyses of potentially confounding covariates and alternative methods of imputing missing data did not substantially alter the results.
Why it matters
In this 24-week, double-blind trial of 350 people with moderate-to-severe Alzheimer's who were not taking a cholinesterase inhibitor, memantine alone (20 mg/day) did not beat placebo on the planned main test of thinking (the SIB) at week 24. It did show an advantage at weeks 12 and 18, and again at week 24 when the researchers used a different statistical method. Daily-living ability "did not differ significantly between groups in any analysis," and side effects were similar with memantine and placebo, so the result is mixed rather than a clear win.
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Study details
- Participants350
- Evidence strengthHigh
How this study scored 67/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a randomised controlled trial. Scored zero for effect reported because the record does not state it. We have no data on senior author's track record, so that was left out: it earned 64 of the 96 points we could judge it on, which is 67 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Alzheimer disease and associated disorders) |
| Journal's citation record | 1 / 4 | Alzheimer Disease & Associated Disorders: journal h-index 131 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 11 / 12 | A randomised controlled trial (from PubMed type “Randomized Controlled Trial”) |
| Strength of evidence | 5 / 5 | Rated “high” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2007 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 2 / 4 | 350 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 2 / 2 | Randomised and blinded or placebo-controlled (as stated in the record) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 181 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 8.6 citations a year over 21 year(s) since 2007 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 8.8× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 6 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 15 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | OpenAlex's profile for last-listed author E. Malca Resnick holds only 8 work(s), too few to judge a track record — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Yale University: institution h-index 1,927 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 4 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 17545739) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Points | 64 / 96 | Scored on 19 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 64 of the 96 points we could judge it on is 67 out of 100. |
| Total | 67 / 100 | — |
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Read the original
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Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
van Dyck, C. H., Tariot, P. N., Meyers, B., Malca Resnick, E., & Memantine MEM-MD-01 Study Group. (2007). A 24-week randomized, controlled trial of memantine in patients with moderate-to-severe Alzheimer disease. Alzheimer disease and associated disorders. https://doi.org/10.1097/wad.0b013e318065c495
Vancouver
van Dyck CH, Tariot PN, Meyers B, Malca Resnick E, Memantine MEM-MD-01 Study Group. A 24-week randomized, controlled trial of memantine in patients with moderate-to-severe Alzheimer disease. Alzheimer disease and associated disorders. 2007. doi:10.1097/wad.0b013e318065c495. PMID: 17545739.
BibTeX
@article{vandyck2007-17545739,
author = {van Dyck, C. H. and Tariot, P. N. and Meyers, B. and Malca Resnick, E. and {Memantine MEM-MD-01 Study Group}},
title = {{A 24-week randomized, controlled trial of memantine in patients with moderate-to-severe Alzheimer disease}},
journal = {Alzheimer disease and associated disorders},
year = {2007},
doi = {10.1097/wad.0b013e318065c495},
pmid = {17545739},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1097/wad.0b013e318065c495}
}
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