CNS pharmacology and
clinical therapeutic effects of oxiracetam
Itil TM, Menon GN, Songar A, Itil KZ
Department of Neurology
University of Milan, Italy. Clin Neuropharmacol 1986;9 Suppl 3:S70-2
Abstract
Oxiracetam, a new substance found
to be a nootropic in experimental pharmacological studies, was tested in three
clinical trials: a single rising dose tolerance and dose-finding study with
quantitative pharmaco-electroencephalogram (pharmaco-EEG) and quantitative
pharmacopsychology in healthy volunteers; a dose-finding study, at three dose
levels for 3 months, with quantitative pharmaco-EEG in mild to moderate
dementia patients; and a safety and efficacy study with increasing dosages for
12 weeks with subjective and objective tests in elderly patients with
dementia. In single and repeated oral dosages up to 2,400 mg, oxiracetam is a
safe compound. According to HZI Data Bank Classification Systems, oxiracetam
is a vigilance-enhancing compound with some effects on spontaneous memory. The
therapeutic effect of oxiracetam can be discriminated from placebo, and in
comparison with piracetam, oxiracetam exhibits greater improvement in memory
factor.