Amantadine Accelerates Recovery from Post-Traumatic Disorders of Consciousness

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) often causes disorders of consciousness such as minimally conscious or vegetative states. Psychotropic medications are frequently used to promote alertness in these patients, but none has been evaluated in rigorous, randomized, clinical trials. Investigators have now performed a multicenter, placebo-controlled clinical trial of amantadine hydrochloride, an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) antagonist and indirect dopamine agonist, for this indication. The 184 patients enrolled were aged 16 to 65, receiving inpatient rehabilitation, and in a minimally conscious or vegetative state 4 to 16 weeks after sustaining a nonpenetrating TBI. The patients were randomized to 4 weeks of treatment with placebo or amantadine, titrat…