Glutamate and Namenda

From Dr. Bock's new book: Page 184: "Another medication that appears to be promising in the treatment of autism is Namenda, which is FDA approved for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Although Namenda does not decrease inflammation directly, it may be helpful by acting on glutamate receptors on the cells to block the activity of glutamate, an excitatory amino acid that may act synergistically with inflammatory mediators." Page 335: "Namenda started out as an Alzheimer's drug, and is now being clinically investigated in the treatment of autism. In my practice, I've found that some kids respond well to it, but it makes others have sudden meltdowns, in which they become extremely emotional for no apparent reason. Why? It's probably because Namenda decreases the activity of the neurotransmitter glutamate, and some kids are already low in the activity of this neurotransmitter. In contrast, most autistic kids generally have high glutamate activity. No two kids are exactly alike, and no two kids need exactly the same medications. As doctors and parents, we need to be good detectives, and keep looking for adverse reactions, and positive responses." Page 347: "Namenda can be an effective drug among the subset of children who have an excess of the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate. This can include children on the autism spectrum, and also those with ADHD. Excess glutamate tends to make children hyperactive. Namenda, however, blocks glutamate receptors, thereby decreasing the activity of glutamate. In one study of 39 children on the autism spectrum, Namenda showed moderate success in decreasing hyperactivity and inappropriate speech. Namenda is not appropriate for all kids with psychiatric disorders, but it can be of significant value to the high-glutamate kids