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The following is a collection of research on Piracetam. If you have any studies to add post it. Let's make this as complete as possible.
Piracetam In Age Related Mental Decline
Orv Hetil 2002 May 19;143(20):1129-33
Effects of piracetam on the cognitive functions verified by electrophysiologic methods
The well-known psychoactive drug widely used in the daily clinical praxis, the piracetam has many therapeutical indications. The drug is extensively applied in the therapy of ischaemic stroke, aphasy as well as of dementias of several origins and age-depending cognitive disturbances. One of the most important effect of piracetam is the positive effect to the cognitive functions. In this publication the author reviews the most important studies, where significant effects of piracetam (chronic or single-dose treatment) were verified by means of electrophysiological methods. These studies proved objectively the positive psychoactive and cognitive effects of the drug, supporting the therapeutical indication of piracetam in such cases, where cognitive deficits are present.
Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord 2002;13(4):217-24
Clinical efficacy of piracetam in cognitive impairment: a meta-analysis.
A meta-analysis has been performed including 19 double blind, placebo controlled studies with piracetam in patients suffering from dementia or cognitive impairment in the elderly. These studies had as common outcome measure a clinical global impression of change, a measure of clinically meaningful improvement. The meta-analysis of this global outcome followed the methodology set forward by the Cochrane Collaboration. This article describes the studies, the patient populations and the methods of data extraction. The results of the meta-analysis demonstrate a difference between those individuals treated with piracetam and those given placebo, both as significant odds ratio and as a favourable number needed to treat. While there may be problems in meta-analyses and the interpretation of the statistical results, the results of this analysis provide compelling evidence for the global efficacy of piracetam in a diverse group of older subjects with cognitive impairment.
Presse Med 1997 Sep 6;26(25):1186-91
Combined therapies in family practice and hospitals. A controlled clinical study of a population of 162 patients with criteria of age-related memory disorders
OBJECTIVES: To assess the combination of drug and cognitive therapy on age-associated memory impairment (AAMI). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A double-blind randomized trial was performed involving 162 patients with age-associated memory impairment selected and followed by their general practitioners. Two intervention methods-a drug and a cognitive therapy-were assessed in combination. Three randomized parallel groups of 54 patients each, aged 55 years and over, were followed and treated for 3 months. After a placebo washout period of 10 days, one group received 2.4 g of piracetam, another group, 4.8 g and the third, a placebo. RESULTS: A total of 135 patients, 45 in each group, completed the study. Combined therapy was most effective in patients whose baseline performance on memory tests was lowest. The best results were observed with piracetam combined with memory training. This result confirmed by the global impression of the principal investigator was in agreement with findings of previous double-blind placebo-controlled trials assessing the combined effect of drug treatment and memory training. CONCLUSION: This result confirmed by the global impression of the principal investigator was in agreement with findings of previous double-blind placebo-controlled trials assessing the combined effect of drug treatment and memory training.
Life Sci 1994;55(25-26):2057-66
Interaction between psychological and pharmacological treatment in cognitive impairment.
In contrast to other kinds of psychotropic drugs, Nootropics or cognition enhancing drugs may be indicated, not for the direct treatment of the pathology itself, but for improving or restoring the remaining brain functions. Brain functions are normally trained during various kinds of non-medical therapy, such as physiotherapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, memory training etc... In research little attention has been paid to the combination of both kinds of therapeutic approaches, probably because of the important methodological difficulties. This combination however, offers various interesting perspectives: L. ISRAEL examined in two placebo-controlled studies the effects of either 160 mg/d of ginkgo biloba extractum (GBE) or piracetam 2.4 or 4.8 g/d, combined with a memory training program, in nondemented patients complaining of memory problems. The results of both studies suggest that nootropic drug treatment and memory training have each an effect on different cognitive functions and, hence, are complementary. Some functions, like attention/perception in the GBE study and learning in the piracetam study, seem to benefit from both treatments, suggesting a mutually potentiating effect of drug treatment and training. This potentiation is very clear in the treatment of dyslexic children: in a placebo-controlled study piracetam 3.3 g/d, in combination with normal school teaching and more specific logopedic therapy, allowed a normal progression during the full school year in reading accuracy and reading comprehension, while the placebo treated children getting a similar training progressed only with 50%. Recently promising results were obtained in the treatment of dysphasic patients with a combination of speech therapy and piracetam 4.8 g/d, especially when given during the first months after the stroke, or otherwise in combination with an intensive speech training. In both double-blind studies the piracetam treated group improved about 60% more than the group who only got speech therapy and placebo. All these data may be explained by the restorative or enhancing influence of nootropic drugs on neurotransmitter systems closely related to learning and memory functions. E.g. piracetam restores the availability and function of muscarinic and NMDA receptors in aging animals, most probably through a modulation of the psychico-chemical properties of the neuronal membrane such as the membrane fluidity.
Int Psychogeriatr 1994 Fall;6(2):155-70
Drug therapy and memory training programs: a double-blind randomized trial of general practice patients with age-associated memory impairment.
A double-blind randomized trial was performed involving 162 patients with age-associated memory impairment (AAMI) selected and followed by their general practitioners. Two intervention methods--a drug and a cognitive therapy--were assessed in combination. Three randomized parallel groups of 54 patients each, aged 55 years and over, were followed and treated for 3 months. After a placebo wash-out period of 10 days, one group received 2.4 g of piracetam, another group, 4.8g, and the third, a placebo. A total of 135 patients, 45 in each group, completed the study. Combined therapy was most effective in patients whose baseline performance on memory tests was lowest. The best results were observed with 4.8 g of piracetam, especially when training sessions began after 6 weeks of drug treatment. This result was confirmed by the global impression of the principal investigator.
Pharmacopsychiatry 1991 Jul;24(4):121-6
Piracetam in elderly motorists.
101 elderly motorists with reduced reaction capacity were examined under real traffic conditions with regard to their driving ability. They were given a daily dose of 4.8 g piracetam or placebo over a six-week period in a randomised double-blind study. The percentage of correctly solved sign-observance items, which reflects orientation and perception in real traffic conditions, increased in the placebo-treated test-group from 79.86% in the pretest to 80.07% in the retest, whereas the test subjects of the piracetam-treated group improved their performance from 77.08% to 84.16%. After being treated with piracetam for 6 weeks, the drivers showed a significantly better performance than the placebo-group. Of particular interest is the finding that the test-subjects who had scored less than 80% in the pretest improved without exception in the retest after treatment with piracetam.
Acta Neurol (Napoli) 1991 Feb;13(1):1-12
A clinical and neurophysiological trial on nootropic drugs in patients with mental decline.
The different expressions of mental decline in elderly people, from simple senile benign forgetfulness to SDAT, can be evaluated by psychometric and neurophysiological tests. In the present study, the effects of oxiracetam, Piracetam and placebo were compared in a group of elderly subjects. The results of the trial, structured as single blind, clearly showed that nootropics positively effect both clinical and neurophysiological performances and that oxiracetam produces a more pronounced effect when compared to piracetam. In fact, oxiracetam was found more effective in improving psychometric scales such as GDS (clinical performances) as well as the amplitude and the latency of the P300 (neurophysiological performances), which reflect a functional recovery of the cerebral pathways related to attention and memory.
Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 1985 Jul;4(2):141-55.
Haemorheological pattern in initial mental deterioration: results of a long-term study using piracetam and pentoxifylline.
A group of 80 elderly subjects affected with recent onset (less than 6 mth) slight to moderate mental deterioration was observed before and after oral drug treatment for a period of 28 wk. The study consisted of four randomized groups of subjects homogeneous for age, sex and life habits. The first group received a placebo, the second group received piracetam (1600 mg 3 times a day), the third group received pentoxifylline (400 mg 3 times a day), and the fourth group received a combination of piracetam and pentoxifylline. At the beginning and end of each phase of the study, neuropsychological and haemorheological parameters were evaluated in all subjects. The results show that the most evident improvement in psycho-intellectual performance, associated with an increase of whole blood filtration values, was obtained in the group treated with the two-drug combination.
Acta Psychiatr Belg 1983 Jul-Aug;83(4):349-58
Nootropic drugs and aging.
Nootropics are drugs, which ameliorate the functional "plasticity" of the central nervous system. The nootropic drug acts at the telencephalic level through a series of bioenergetic, hemorheological, microcirculatory and neurochemical mechanisms.
Arzneimittelforschung 1978;28(9):1529-30
Piracetam and vigilance. A study of EEG changes and clinical effects in gerontopsychiatric patients (author's transl)
The electroencephalographic and clinical effects of piracetam were studied in a group of 11 hospitalized gerontopsychiatric patients treated with a daily dosage of 4.8 g for 8--13 months. The EEG was evaluated by power spectral analysis, followed by a principal component analysis of frequency parameters. The statistical analysis of the resulting factor scores shows that piracetam induces significant EEG changes: decrease of slow frequencies, augmentation and acceleration of alpha-activity and increase of beta-activity. These EEG changes, indicating an increase in vigilance, correspond clinically to an improvement of communicative behavior and cognitive functioning.
Acta Psychiatr Scand 1976 Aug;54(2):150-60
Piracetam-induced improvement of mental performance. A controlled study on normally aging individuals.
A double-blind, intra-individual cross-over comparison of the mental performance of 18 aging, non-deteriorated individuals during two 4-week periods of piracetam (1-acetamide-2-pyrrolidone) and placebo administration was performed using conventional and computerized perceptual-motor tasks. In a majority of these tasks the subjects did significantly better when on piracetam than on placebo, a finding consistent with ratings completed by two independent observers. The findings indicate new avenues for the treatment of individuals with reduced mental performance possibly related to disturbed alertness--a neglected group of psychiatric conditions.
Piracetam In Age Related Mental Decline
Orv Hetil 2002 May 19;143(20):1129-33
Effects of piracetam on the cognitive functions verified by electrophysiologic methods
The well-known psychoactive drug widely used in the daily clinical praxis, the piracetam has many therapeutical indications. The drug is extensively applied in the therapy of ischaemic stroke, aphasy as well as of dementias of several origins and age-depending cognitive disturbances. One of the most important effect of piracetam is the positive effect to the cognitive functions. In this publication the author reviews the most important studies, where significant effects of piracetam (chronic or single-dose treatment) were verified by means of electrophysiological methods. These studies proved objectively the positive psychoactive and cognitive effects of the drug, supporting the therapeutical indication of piracetam in such cases, where cognitive deficits are present.
Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord 2002;13(4):217-24
Clinical efficacy of piracetam in cognitive impairment: a meta-analysis.
A meta-analysis has been performed including 19 double blind, placebo controlled studies with piracetam in patients suffering from dementia or cognitive impairment in the elderly. These studies had as common outcome measure a clinical global impression of change, a measure of clinically meaningful improvement. The meta-analysis of this global outcome followed the methodology set forward by the Cochrane Collaboration. This article describes the studies, the patient populations and the methods of data extraction. The results of the meta-analysis demonstrate a difference between those individuals treated with piracetam and those given placebo, both as significant odds ratio and as a favourable number needed to treat. While there may be problems in meta-analyses and the interpretation of the statistical results, the results of this analysis provide compelling evidence for the global efficacy of piracetam in a diverse group of older subjects with cognitive impairment.
Presse Med 1997 Sep 6;26(25):1186-91
Combined therapies in family practice and hospitals. A controlled clinical study of a population of 162 patients with criteria of age-related memory disorders
OBJECTIVES: To assess the combination of drug and cognitive therapy on age-associated memory impairment (AAMI). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A double-blind randomized trial was performed involving 162 patients with age-associated memory impairment selected and followed by their general practitioners. Two intervention methods-a drug and a cognitive therapy-were assessed in combination. Three randomized parallel groups of 54 patients each, aged 55 years and over, were followed and treated for 3 months. After a placebo washout period of 10 days, one group received 2.4 g of piracetam, another group, 4.8 g and the third, a placebo. RESULTS: A total of 135 patients, 45 in each group, completed the study. Combined therapy was most effective in patients whose baseline performance on memory tests was lowest. The best results were observed with piracetam combined with memory training. This result confirmed by the global impression of the principal investigator was in agreement with findings of previous double-blind placebo-controlled trials assessing the combined effect of drug treatment and memory training. CONCLUSION: This result confirmed by the global impression of the principal investigator was in agreement with findings of previous double-blind placebo-controlled trials assessing the combined effect of drug treatment and memory training.
Life Sci 1994;55(25-26):2057-66
Interaction between psychological and pharmacological treatment in cognitive impairment.
In contrast to other kinds of psychotropic drugs, Nootropics or cognition enhancing drugs may be indicated, not for the direct treatment of the pathology itself, but for improving or restoring the remaining brain functions. Brain functions are normally trained during various kinds of non-medical therapy, such as physiotherapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, memory training etc... In research little attention has been paid to the combination of both kinds of therapeutic approaches, probably because of the important methodological difficulties. This combination however, offers various interesting perspectives: L. ISRAEL examined in two placebo-controlled studies the effects of either 160 mg/d of ginkgo biloba extractum (GBE) or piracetam 2.4 or 4.8 g/d, combined with a memory training program, in nondemented patients complaining of memory problems. The results of both studies suggest that nootropic drug treatment and memory training have each an effect on different cognitive functions and, hence, are complementary. Some functions, like attention/perception in the GBE study and learning in the piracetam study, seem to benefit from both treatments, suggesting a mutually potentiating effect of drug treatment and training. This potentiation is very clear in the treatment of dyslexic children: in a placebo-controlled study piracetam 3.3 g/d, in combination with normal school teaching and more specific logopedic therapy, allowed a normal progression during the full school year in reading accuracy and reading comprehension, while the placebo treated children getting a similar training progressed only with 50%. Recently promising results were obtained in the treatment of dysphasic patients with a combination of speech therapy and piracetam 4.8 g/d, especially when given during the first months after the stroke, or otherwise in combination with an intensive speech training. In both double-blind studies the piracetam treated group improved about 60% more than the group who only got speech therapy and placebo. All these data may be explained by the restorative or enhancing influence of nootropic drugs on neurotransmitter systems closely related to learning and memory functions. E.g. piracetam restores the availability and function of muscarinic and NMDA receptors in aging animals, most probably through a modulation of the psychico-chemical properties of the neuronal membrane such as the membrane fluidity.
Int Psychogeriatr 1994 Fall;6(2):155-70
Drug therapy and memory training programs: a double-blind randomized trial of general practice patients with age-associated memory impairment.
A double-blind randomized trial was performed involving 162 patients with age-associated memory impairment (AAMI) selected and followed by their general practitioners. Two intervention methods--a drug and a cognitive therapy--were assessed in combination. Three randomized parallel groups of 54 patients each, aged 55 years and over, were followed and treated for 3 months. After a placebo wash-out period of 10 days, one group received 2.4 g of piracetam, another group, 4.8g, and the third, a placebo. A total of 135 patients, 45 in each group, completed the study. Combined therapy was most effective in patients whose baseline performance on memory tests was lowest. The best results were observed with 4.8 g of piracetam, especially when training sessions began after 6 weeks of drug treatment. This result was confirmed by the global impression of the principal investigator.
Pharmacopsychiatry 1991 Jul;24(4):121-6
Piracetam in elderly motorists.
101 elderly motorists with reduced reaction capacity were examined under real traffic conditions with regard to their driving ability. They were given a daily dose of 4.8 g piracetam or placebo over a six-week period in a randomised double-blind study. The percentage of correctly solved sign-observance items, which reflects orientation and perception in real traffic conditions, increased in the placebo-treated test-group from 79.86% in the pretest to 80.07% in the retest, whereas the test subjects of the piracetam-treated group improved their performance from 77.08% to 84.16%. After being treated with piracetam for 6 weeks, the drivers showed a significantly better performance than the placebo-group. Of particular interest is the finding that the test-subjects who had scored less than 80% in the pretest improved without exception in the retest after treatment with piracetam.
Acta Neurol (Napoli) 1991 Feb;13(1):1-12
A clinical and neurophysiological trial on nootropic drugs in patients with mental decline.
The different expressions of mental decline in elderly people, from simple senile benign forgetfulness to SDAT, can be evaluated by psychometric and neurophysiological tests. In the present study, the effects of oxiracetam, Piracetam and placebo were compared in a group of elderly subjects. The results of the trial, structured as single blind, clearly showed that nootropics positively effect both clinical and neurophysiological performances and that oxiracetam produces a more pronounced effect when compared to piracetam. In fact, oxiracetam was found more effective in improving psychometric scales such as GDS (clinical performances) as well as the amplitude and the latency of the P300 (neurophysiological performances), which reflect a functional recovery of the cerebral pathways related to attention and memory.
Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 1985 Jul;4(2):141-55.
Haemorheological pattern in initial mental deterioration: results of a long-term study using piracetam and pentoxifylline.
A group of 80 elderly subjects affected with recent onset (less than 6 mth) slight to moderate mental deterioration was observed before and after oral drug treatment for a period of 28 wk. The study consisted of four randomized groups of subjects homogeneous for age, sex and life habits. The first group received a placebo, the second group received piracetam (1600 mg 3 times a day), the third group received pentoxifylline (400 mg 3 times a day), and the fourth group received a combination of piracetam and pentoxifylline. At the beginning and end of each phase of the study, neuropsychological and haemorheological parameters were evaluated in all subjects. The results show that the most evident improvement in psycho-intellectual performance, associated with an increase of whole blood filtration values, was obtained in the group treated with the two-drug combination.
Acta Psychiatr Belg 1983 Jul-Aug;83(4):349-58
Nootropic drugs and aging.
Nootropics are drugs, which ameliorate the functional "plasticity" of the central nervous system. The nootropic drug acts at the telencephalic level through a series of bioenergetic, hemorheological, microcirculatory and neurochemical mechanisms.
Arzneimittelforschung 1978;28(9):1529-30
Piracetam and vigilance. A study of EEG changes and clinical effects in gerontopsychiatric patients (author's transl)
The electroencephalographic and clinical effects of piracetam were studied in a group of 11 hospitalized gerontopsychiatric patients treated with a daily dosage of 4.8 g for 8--13 months. The EEG was evaluated by power spectral analysis, followed by a principal component analysis of frequency parameters. The statistical analysis of the resulting factor scores shows that piracetam induces significant EEG changes: decrease of slow frequencies, augmentation and acceleration of alpha-activity and increase of beta-activity. These EEG changes, indicating an increase in vigilance, correspond clinically to an improvement of communicative behavior and cognitive functioning.
Acta Psychiatr Scand 1976 Aug;54(2):150-60
Piracetam-induced improvement of mental performance. A controlled study on normally aging individuals.
A double-blind, intra-individual cross-over comparison of the mental performance of 18 aging, non-deteriorated individuals during two 4-week periods of piracetam (1-acetamide-2-pyrrolidone) and placebo administration was performed using conventional and computerized perceptual-motor tasks. In a majority of these tasks the subjects did significantly better when on piracetam than on placebo, a finding consistent with ratings completed by two independent observers. The findings indicate new avenues for the treatment of individuals with reduced mental performance possibly related to disturbed alertness--a neglected group of psychiatric conditions.
