CNS pharmacology and clinical therapeutic effects of oxiracetam.

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.