Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry

A variety of symptoms can occur following traumatic brain injury(TBI) or other types of acquired brain injury. These symptoms can include problems with short-term memory, attention, planning, problem solving, impulsivity, disinhibition, poor motivation, and other behavioral and cognitive deficit. These symptoms may respond to certain drugs, such as dopaminergic agents. Amantadine may protect patients from secondary neuronal damage after brain injury as a effect of NMDA receptor antagonists and may improve functioning of brain-injured patients as a dopaminergic agonist. Clinically, based on current evidence, amantadine may provide a potentially effective, safe, and inexpensive option for treating the cognitive, mood, and behavioral disorders of individuals with brain injury. The rationales for using amantadine are discussed, and pertinent literatures are reviewed.

Keywords Amantadine;Dopamine agonist;NMDA receptor antagonist;Traumatic brain injury.