Piracetam: Novelty in a unique mode of action

Extensive research of the recent years has demonstrated that piracetam is e ffective in the treatment of cognitive decline in aging and dementia. It is usually much more active in situations of impaired brain function, Accordi ngly, its mechanism of action has been associated with neurochemical defici ts of the aged brain relevant to cognitive dysfunctions. Since many of thes e neurochemical deficits depend on changes of membrane properties, includin g fluidity, it is of special importance that piracetam not only modifies me mbrane properties by interacting with the polar head moieties of the phosph olipid bilayer, but also that this effect is more pronounced in membranes o f aged as opposed to young animal and human brains, and that this mechanism also has specific relevance for brain membranes of Alzheimer's disease pat ients. Altering membrane properties might also be involved in vascular effe cts of piracetam such as improved erythrocyte deformability and normalizati on of hyperactive platelet aggregation. This novel mechanism of piracetam t hus combines a Father non-specific physico-chemical mode of action with the pharmacological and clinical experience with this unique drug - effects ar e always much more pronounced when function is impaired.