Does Treatment With Amantadine Increase the Rate of Improvement of Cognitive Function in Patients Suffering From Traumatic Brain Injury?

OBJECTIVE: To determine, “Does treatment with amantadine improve the rate of cognitive function in patients with Traumatic Brain Injury?” STUDY DESIGN: Review of three English language randomized controlled trials from 1999-2012 DATA SOURCES: Three randomized, placebo-controlled, double blind cross-over trials comparing amantadine to placebo were found using Pub-Med and Cochrane Databases. OUTCOMES MEASURED: The trials measured the effects of amantadine on command-following, object recognition, functional object use, intelligible verbalization, reliable yes-or-no communication, sustained attention, orientation, attention, memory, executive flexibility, and behavior and used the following assessment tools: Neurobehavioral Rating Scale and DRS (Disability Rating Scale). RESULTS: Two studies demonstrated an improvement in eye opening, verbalization, motor response, cognitive understanding of feeding, dressing, and grooming; degree of assistance and supervision required; and employability at higher rates than the placebo. One study did not indicate an increase of rate in improvement of cognitive function when comparing amantadine to placebo. CONCLUSION: Based on two of the trials, treatment with amantadine does increase the rate of improvement of cognitive function in patients suffering from Traumatic Brain Injury. One trial did not show an increase in rate of improvement, but small sample size discounted its validity