Here's some misc research from Pubmed.
Brain Inj. 1991 Oct-Dec;5(4):375-80. Related Articles, Links
Placebo-controlled study of pramiracetam in young males with memory and cognitive problems resulting from head injury and anoxia.
McLean A Jr, Cardenas DD, Burgess D, Gamzu E.
Neuro Care Inc., Seattle, Washington.
The current study evaluated under double-blind placebo-controlled conditions, the safety and efficacy of 400 mg pramiracetam sulphate TID in treating memory and other cognitive problems of males who have sustained brain injuries. The results of the study indicate that subject performance in measures of memory, especially delayed recall, evidenced clinically significant improvements after the administration of pramiracetam sulphate as compared to placebo. This improvement was maintained during an 18-month open-trial period on the medication as well as during a 1-month follow-up period after the pramiracetam was discontinued.
Behav Brain Res. 1989 Jun 1;33(2):197-207. Related Articles, Links
A new one-trial test for neurobiological studies of memory in rats. II: Effects of piracetam and pramiracetam.
Ennaceur A, Cavoy A, Costa JC, Delacour J.
Laboratoire de Psychophysiologie, Universite Paris VII, France.
The effects of the nootropic drugs Piracetam (Pir) and Pramiracetam (Pram) were evaluated on recognition-memory of rats in a new one-trial test. This test is based on spontaneous exploratory activity and does not involve rule learning or reinforcement. Recognition is measured by the time spent by rats in exploring two different objects, one familiar (the sample), the other new. When the retention interval is 1 min, normal rats spend more time exploring the new object which demonstrates that they recognize the familiar one, but they do not discriminate between the two objects after a 24-h interval. Three doses of Pram (15, 30 and 60 mg/kg) and Pir (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg) were administered i.p. 30 min before the acquisition trial. The doses of 30 mg/kg of Pram and of 400 mg/kg of Pir produced a significant improvement in retention when the intertrial interval was 24 h. This effect was not associated with a change in overall exploratory behavior. This study shows that the new object-recognition test may be a useful tool for pharmacological studies of memory in rats.
Psychopharmacology (Berl). 1986;89(3):378-81. Related Articles, Links
The effect of pramiracetam (CI-879) on the acquisition of a radial arm maze task.
Murray CL, Fibiger HC.
The effect of the nootropic drug pramiracetam (CI-879) on acquisition of a radial arm maze task was examined in the rat. Two doses of pramiracetam (7.5 mg/kg and 15 mg/kg) were administered daily prior to testing for 7 weeks in a 16-arm radial maze in which nine arms were baited with food. This procedure permitted a distinction between working memory (short-term) and reference memory (long-term). Both doses of pramiracetam significantly improved performance in the reference memory component of the task, but did not significantly affect the working memory component. These data indicate that pramiracetam can enhance some aspects of spatial learning and memory in the rat.
xperientia. 1985 Nov 15;41(11):1433-5. Related Articles, Links
Arousal deficit shown in aged rat's quantitative EEG and ameliorative action of pramiracetam compared to piracetam.
Poschel BP, Ho PM, Ninteman FW.
The basal EEG profile of the aged Fisher-344 rat was consistently different from that of the young rat, showing dominant high voltage slow-wave components. These slow waves were present in both the frontal cerebral cortex and dorsal hippocampus. Absent or greatly attenuated in the aged rat's hippocampal EEG was rhythmic theta activity, which was always dominant in the young awake rat's hippocampus. These EEG differences were clearly apparent only under basal test conditions, i.e., following habituation to the test situation. Pramiracetam sulfate acted strongly to normalize the aged rat's EEG, while the action of piracetam was weak and appeared to undergo tolerance development.
Biomed Biochim Acta. 1988;47(4-5):417-21. Related Articles, Links
[Cholinergic effects of nootropics]
[Article in German]
Funk KF, Schmidt J.
Institut fur Pharmakologie und Toxikologie, Medizinische Akademie Carl Gustav Carus, Dresden, DDR.
With respect to the enhancing effect of nootropics on learning and memory, the influence of some of these drugs on the high affinity choline uptake has been investigated. Meclofenoxate competes with choline uptake in vitro because of its similar side chain; other nootropics are without in vitro effects. A single dose of pramiracetam enhances the choline uptake in cortex and hippocampus. Application of meclofenoxate decreases the uptake of choline. Other nootropics lack acute effects. Possible increases of uptake after repeated dosage disappear within 24 h.
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