Abstract
Forty-four patients with senile dementia of the Alzheimer type were randomly allocated into double-blind treatment with either aniracetam (RO 13-5057) 1 g or placebo daily for 3 months. Neurological examinations were made before and after treatment and psychometric tests were performed before and after 1 month's and after 3 month's treatment. Treatment was interrupted due to occurrence of confusion in four cases in the aniracetam group and in one case in the placebo group. During treatment, an improvement was seen in several cognitive tests, especially those associated with memory, but this improvement occurred in the placebo as well as in the aniracetam-treated group. In clinical evaluation no difference was seen in efficacy between the two treatment groups.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Benton P (1963) The revised visual retention test. The Psychological Corporation, New York
Canter GJ, La Torre R de, Mier M (1961) A method for evaluating disability in patients with Parkinson's disease. J Nerv Ment Dis 133:143–147
Christensen AL (1974) Luria's Neuropsychological Investigation. Munksgaard, Copenhagen
Dajas F, Romero S, Florens M, Lorenzo J et al. (1983) Neuropsychological and psychiatric assessment of the effects of aniracetam (RO 13-5057) on age related brain deficits. Preliminary results. Presented at the 6th Int Neuropsychological Soc (INS) Eur Conf, Lisbon, 14–17 June, 1983. The InS Bulletin, p 12
Giurgea C, Lefevre D, Lercrenier C, David-Remade M (1971) Pharmacological protection against hypoxia-induced amnesia in rats. Psychopharmacologica 20:160–168
Hachinski VC, Iliff LD, Zilkha E, Du Bowlay GH, McAllister VL, Marshall J, Ross-Russell RW, Symon L (1975) Cerebral blood flow in dementia. Arch Neurol 32:632–637
Jarho L (1973) Korsakoff-like amnesic syndrome in penetrating brain injury. A study of Finnish war veterans. Acta Neurol Scand 49:Suppl 54
Lagergren K, Levander S (1974) A double-blind study on the effects of piracetam upon perceptual + psychomotor performance at varied heart rates in patients with artificial pace-makers. Psychopharmacologica 39:97–104
Lezak MD (1976) Neuropsychological Assessment. O.U.P., New York
Loew DM, Weil C (1982) Hydergine in senile mental impairment. Gerontology 28:54–74
Portin R, Rinne UK (1980) Neuropsychological responses of parkinsonian patients to long-term levodopa treatment. In: Rinne UK, Kingler M, Stamm G (eds) Parkinson's disease — current progress, problems and management. Elsevier, North Holland Biomedical Press, pp 271–304
Portin R, Rinne UK (1983) The effect of deprenyl on cognition and emotion in parkinsonian patients with long-term levodopa treatment. Acta Neurol Scand 68:Suppl 95; 135–144
Rinne UK, Sonninen V (1968) A double-blind study ofl-dopa treatment in Parkinson's disease. Eur Neurol 1:180–191
Saletu B, Grunberger J, Linzmayer L (1980) Quantitative EEG and psychometric analyses in assessing CNS-activity of Ro 13-5057 — a cerebral insufficiency improver. Methods Find Exp Clin Pharmacol 2(5):269–285
Shader RJ, Harmatz JS, Salzman C (1974) A new scale for clinical assessments in geriatric populations. Sandoz clinical assessment geriatric (SCAG). J Am Geriatr Soc 22:107–113
Wechsler D (1981) Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale — revised. The Psychological Corporation, New York
Wells PL, Reusch J (1945) Mental examiner's handbook. Revised edition. The Psychological Corporation, New York
Wolthuis OL (1971) Experiments with UCB 6125, a drug which enhances acquisition in rats. Its effects compared with those of metanphetamine. Eur J Pharmacol 16:283–297
Zung WWK (1965) A self-rating depression scale. Arch Gen Psychiatry 12:63–70
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sourander, L.B., Portin, R., Mölsä, P. et al. Senile dementia of the Alzheimer type treated with aniracetam: a new nootropic agent. Psychopharmacologia 91, 90–95 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00690933
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00690933