Pramiracetam is a drug belonging to the racetam family of cognitive enhancers. Pramiracetam may increase memory and enhance learning ability. It also has the potential to treat amnesia and help with brain injuries. Read on to see the potential uses as well as mechanisms and side effects of pramiracetam.
CONTENTS [HIDE]
Introduction
Pramiracetam (also known as Pramistar) is a cognitive enhancer (nootropic) that is synthesized from piracetam, the original racetam, by substituting the amide group in piracetam with a dipropan-2-ylamino ethyl group. This substitution allows pramiracetam to be more potent than piracetam.
Pramiracetam was developed in 1979 by Parke-Davis, a division of the Warner-Lambert pharmaceutical company. Pramiracetam was at first distributed under the brand name Pramistar. Now, it is part of Pfizer, since Warner-Lambert merged with Pfizer in 2000.
Pramiracetam is found to increase rats’ object recognition with a significantly lower dose when compared to piracetam. Piracetam required 13x the dose of pramiracetam to have the same effect [R].
Mechanism of Action
- Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter involved in learning and memory. Pramiracetam increased the rate of choline uptake into the rat brain cells by 30 to 37% [R, R, R]. Increased uptake of choline provides more choline as a source to build acetylcholine. This effect lasts 24 hours [R].
- Even when rats were given scopolamine, a substance that reduces choline concentration in the brain, treatment with pramiracetam could increase it again [R].
- Nitric oxide is a compound that is known to play a role in memory and learning ability. Pramiracetam increases nitric oxide production in the brain [R, R].
- The action of pramiracetam and other racetams depends on adrenal hormone availability. In rats, racetams, including pramiracetam, lost their effect on increasing memory after the animals had their adrenal glands removed. Inhibition of adrenal hormone production also suppressed the memory-improving effects of pramiracetam in mice [R, R].
- However, higher levels of adrenal hormones aldosterone or corticosterone (cortisol equivalent) also blocked the memory-enhancing effects of this drug in mice in a dose-related manner [R].
Uses of Pramiracetam
1) Pramiracetam Improves Memory
A pilot study of 35 elderly volunteers with memory loss found that those who received pramiracetam showed greater improvements in memory than those who received memory training, as well as those who did not receive either [R].
In a study (DB-PCT) of four young men with brain injury, pramiracetam improved both short- and long-term memory. This effect lasted for 1 month after the treatment was discontinued [R].
Seven weeks treatment of pramiracetam was found to increase long-term memory and learning ability in rats [R].
Pramiracetam improved object-recognition memory in rats [R].
2) Pramiracetam Helps Prevent and Reverse Amnesia
In a study (DB-RCT) of 24 young and old healthy volunteers, pramiracetam partially reduced the memory loss caused by scopolamine, a drug that produces temporary amnesia [R].
In a study of 65 patients with head injuries, pramiracetam also worked better to reduce the amnesic effect when compared to piracetam [R].
Pretreatment with pramiracetam prevented memory loss in rats treated with a substance that causes amnesia (hemicholinium-3) [R].
Pramiracetam reversed memory loss in mice caused by electric shock [R].
3) Pramiracetam Improves Recovery from Brain Injuries
In a study of 65 people with mild brain injury, pramiracetam reduced headaches, dizziness, and nausea and improved orientation and feeling to a greater extent than piracetam [R].
A study (DB-RCT) of four men with severe brain injuries found that six weeks of pramiracetam supplementation significantly improved memory compared to placebo [R].
4) Pramiracetam Improves Memory Decline Caused by Lack of Blood Flow to the Brain
Chronic cerebrovascular insufficiency refers to a number of conditions in which the arteries supplying blood to the brain are blocked, causing memory loss. Pramiracetam improved memory decline in chronic cerebrovascular insufficiency patients [R].
Limitations and Caveats
Most of the research on pramiracetam has been conducted on animals and there are few clinical trials in humans. Caution should be taken when applying this research for human use.
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