Piracetam

Piracetam is a "nootropic," meaning it is a psychotropic agent that acts directly on the brain to improve the efficacy of the telencephalon, both in healthy people and in those with some functional deficit. This part of the brain is involved in cognition and also plays a role in learning and memory, in alertness and in consciousness. Piracetam does not produce sedation or stimulation. It can act on the central nervous system in several ways: it modifies neurotransmission within the brain and helps improve the metabolic environment essential for healthy neuronal function. It is also a haemorrheological agent and can improve microcirculation without causing vasodilation. When given as acute or long-term treatment for people with a functional CNS deficit, it heightens alertness and increases cognitive function. This change shows up on an EEG trace as a significant increase in alpha and beta activity, with a reduction in delta activity. Piracetam protects and restores cognitive functional capacity after cerebral trauma, such as hypoxia or intoxication, and after electroshock therapy. It may be given alone or together with other drugs when treating myoclonia due to anoxia, and it reduces the duration of vestibular nystagmus. Piracetam also improves regional oxygen and glucose uptake in the brain in people with dementia following multiple infarcts, or in those with cerebral ischaemia. It inhibits the increased aggregation of activated platelets, and in conditions where red blood cells (RBCs) show abnormal rigidity, it can restore their deformability and their ability to pass through the microvasculature.