Hyperkinetic Movement Disorders
Philip B. Gorelick, Fernando D. Testai, Graeme J. Hankey, Joanna M. Wardlaw in Hankey's Clinical Neurology, 2020
Adverse effects of anticonvulsants used in the treatment of action myoclonus: Valproate: sedation, weight gain, hair loss, tremor, hepatotoxicity. Women of childbearing age should be counseled about the increased risk of fetal malformation if taken during pregnancy. Valproate is contraindicated in mitochondrial cytopathies.Levetiracetam: sedation (less than valproate), fatigue, dizziness, behavioral change.Clonazepam: sedation, depression, fatigue, habituation.Piracetam: sedation, diarrhea, weight gain, depression. Drug of choice in postanoxic action myoclonus.
Dyslexia and Irregular Dynamics of the Visual System
Kees P. van den Bos, Linda S. Siegel, Dirk J. Bakker, David L. Share in Current Directions in Dyslexia Research, 2020
The model predicts improvement from drugs which speed up the dominant frequency of the EEG that is considered an artifact of the eigen frequency of interacting neural populations. For instance the anti depressant Imipramine exhibits this poperty of speeding up the EEG (Stumpf & Gogolák, 1987). The immediate effect of drugs prescribed for the improvement of dyslexia on the functioning of the position module can be assessed by the oddball paradigm. Improvement should show up in a shifted point of bifurcation in reaction times in the direction of higher frequencies. It seems interesting to test the effect of Piracetam (Wilsher this volume) with the oddball paradigm. Piracetam is chemically related to the neurotransmitter Gamma-Amino-Buturic-Acid (Washer, Atkins & Manfield, 1985). GABA possibly plays a role in the transient part of the visual system (Koch & Poggio, 1987). GABA coexists with Somatostatine in the visual system and both transmitters might interact, which could explain eventual beneficial effects of Piracetam. However, such an interaction remains to be demonstrated (Silito, 1987).
Misuse, Recreational Use, and Addiction in Relation to Prescription Medicines
Ornella Corazza, Andres Roman-Urrestarazu in Handbook of Novel Psychoactive Substances, 2018
In addition to amphetamines and methylphenidate, other medications are often misused as stimulants or cognitive enhancers. Piracetam is a cyclic derivative of GABA (Corazza, Bersani et al., 2014). Originally marketed in 1971, it has documented benefits in a diverse range of indications, including Alzheimer’s disease, age-associated memory impairment, vertigo, cortical myoclonus, dyslexia, neuropathic pain, and tardive dyskinesia (Corazza, Bersani et al., 2014). It is recently emerged that an increasing number of users purchase piracetam to enhance study- and work-related performances, as well as for pure recreational purposes (Corazza, Bersani et al., 2014). Similar evidence of misuse has been reported in relation to other stimulants, such as aniracetam and centrophenoxine (Schifano, Orsolini, Duccio Papanti, & Corkery, 2015).
Mercurius solubilis attenuates scopolamine-induced memory deficits and enhances the motor coordination in mice
Published in International Journal of Neuroscience, 2018
Simranjeet Kaur, Anudeep Kaur, Gurjit Singh, Rajbir Bhatti
Merc sol solubilis is a homeopathic formulation that is prepared by treating mercury with nitric acid and triturating the resultant precipitate till it is soluble. This is followed by several dilutions till no trace of the starting material remains through dynamization [9]. It is used in homeopathy for a variety of ailments such as otitis media [27] and inflammatory condition [10]. Merc sol is also documented to be used in treating the infection of the nerves such as leprosy [11] and neuralgias [8]. So far, there are no studies documenting the effect of merc sol on cognitive function. Therefore, the present study was designed to investigate the effect of merc sol on scopolamine-induced memory impairment in mice. Scopolamine-induced memory impairment is a standard model to study the drugs affecting learning and memory [28]. Scopolamine is documented to inhibit the binding of acetylcholine to muscarinic receptors and lead to deleterious changes in the hippocampus that affects learning and memory [29] and scopolamine also induces motor in-cordination as reported in different experimental studies [30,31]. Studies have revealed that scopolamine increases the oxidative stress in amnesic rodent brain as evidenced by increase in brain malonaldehyde and decreased reduced glutathione level in rodents [32]. Piracetam is a clinically used nootropic agent and is proposed to act through multiple pathways including dopaminergic, glutamatergic and serotonergic signaling [33]. In the current study, piracetam has been used as a standard drug.
Brivaracetam efficacy and safety in focal epilepsy
Published in Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics, 2019
Yamane Makke, Bassel Abou-Khalil
The racetams are a group of small molecules that have a 5-carbon oxopyrrolidone ring. They include several compounds, with piracetam as the parent drug. Piracetam was initially developed as a nootropic agent to improve cognitive functions [12]. LEV is an S-enantiomer of the ethyl analog of piracetam, developed by UCB pharma in 1974 with a goal to find a newer nootropic agent [13]. LEV did not have cognitive-enhancing effects, but it had antiepileptic activity. It lessened seizures in genetically sound-sensitive mouse models and was effective in controlling seizures in chronic epilepsy animal models, while it was ineffective in acute seizure models of normal animals, traditionally used to screen compounds for antiepileptic activity [13–15].
Novel pharmacotherapy for burn wounds: what are the advancements
Published in Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy, 2019
Piracetam is a nootropic drug (2-oxo-1-pyrrolidineacetamide, a cyclic derivative of GABA) that has been widely tested to improve cognitive impairment [132]. Germonpre et al [133] administered piracetam IM to rats twice daily for 3 days, starting 4 h after the burn injury. Piracetam gave less destruction of the basal membrane, although subepidermal leukocyte-infiltration and destruction of the skin appendages were not significantly decreased compared to the controls. Sari et al [134] administered piracetam either IV or topically for 14 days to rabbits with 3rd degree burns. After 21 days, both formulations significantly enhanced healing with the topical piracetam somewhat superior.
Related Knowledge Centers
- Aniracetam
- Brivaracetam
- Myoclonus
- Nootropic
- Pyroglutamic Acid
- Levetiracetam
- Drug
- Racetam
- Γ-Aminobutyric Acid
- Phenylpiracetam