Combined fenobam and amantadine treatment promotes robust antidyskinetic effects in the 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-lesioned primate model of Parkinson's disease.

Amantadine, an N-methyl-D-aspartate glutamate receptor antagonist, is currently the only pharmacological treatment for levodopa-induced dyskinesia (LID) in Parkinson's disease (PD), but causes adverse effects on the central nervous system at therapeutic doses. Fenobam, a negative modulator of metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 5, has recently been reported to attenuate LID in MPTP-treated macaques. The aim of the current study was to investigate the treatment interactions of fenobam and amantadine on LID in the MPTP-treated macaque model of PD. The antidyskinetic and -parkinsonian effects were measured after administration of fenobam (10-30 mg/kg) and amantadine (10-30 mg/kg) alone and in combination. Fenobam (30 mg/kg) and amantadine (30 mg/kg) alone reduced LID, whereas lower doses of either drug did not cause any significant effects. A combined treatment of fenobam and amantadine at subthreshold doses (10 and 20 mg/kg) significantly reduced LID without worsening PD disability. These data suggest that a low-dose combination of fenobam and amantadine can be used for alleviating dyskinesia without causing adverse motor effects. Such combined therapies may offer a new therapeutic strategy for treatment of LID in PD patients.