Aniracetam is a pyrrolidinone‐type cognition enhancer that has been clinically used in the treatment of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia following stroke and in Alzheimer's disease.

Effects

Aniracetam is a nootropic agent used for the treatment of senile dementia. It was first investigated in the 1980s for cognitive enhancement Lee and Benfield (1994). An analogue of piracetam, aniracetam is more potent than piracetam. It acts to protect neurons through blockade of AMPA receptors and facilitates interhemispheric transfer through the corpus callosum. It also inhibits N-type calcium channel conductance.¹

Uses

Aniracetam has been used to treat dementia following stroke and in Alzheimer's disease. It has undergone a number of experiments in rodents; in a 1982 experiment on rats and mice it was found to have a variety of psychoactive effects, improving learning and memory that was otherwise impaired experimentally. It has been identified as a nootropic drug due to these memory effects. A 2001 study reported that in mice it has modest effects similar to an anxiolytic.

Pre-Clinical Research

Aniracetam reverses memory impairment in rats induced by clonidine. The transcallosal response was recorded from the surface of the frontal cortex after stimulation of the corresponding site on the opposite cortical hemisphere in anaesthetized rats. It was found that aniracetam increases the amplitude of the negative wave, effectively facilitating inter-hemispheric transfer, an effect that is thought to be related to the improvement of cognitive function Morio et al (1992).

Side effects

Others warn of reproductive side effects, such as fertility damage and possible fetal harm to an unborn baby.

The stimulating effects of aniracetam can potentially cause:

jitteriness

irritability

insomnia

headaches

nausea

vomiting

Reference

1. Zoe Clarke, Aniracetam,Editor(s): S.J. Enna, David B. Bylund,xPharm: The Comprehensive Pharmacology Reference,Elsevier,2007,Pages 1-4.