Can the pattern of neuropsychological improvement obtained with cholinergic drugs be used to infer a cholinergic mechanism in other nootropic drugs?
1. Enhancement of episodic memory and reduction of intrusion errors are considered as the most characteristic outcome of cholinergic drugs administration in AD patients. 2. Since the nootropic drugs Piracetam and Oxiracetam are deemed to act through a cholinergic mechanism, we checked whether AD patients treated with these drugs would show the same pattern of neuropsychological improvement. 3. Results were negative, since (a) episodic memory showed a similar degree of improvement both in patients treated with these drugs and in patients treated with placebo; (b) the number of intrusions tended to increase, rather than to decrease, after the treatment period.
Gainotti
G
G
Institute of Neurology, 2nd School of Medicine, University of Naples, Italy.
Nocentini
U
U
Sena
E
E
D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D006801:Humans; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010277:Parasympathomimetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010889:Piracetam / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011759:Pyrrolidines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011760:Pyrrolidinones / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D010277:Parasympathomimetics; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs; D011759:Pyrrolidines; D011760:Pyrrolidinones; C040619:oxiracetam; D010889:Piracetam