Condition
Organic Brain Syndrome
Organic brain syndrome is a broad term for impaired thinking and memory that stems from a physical cause affecting the brain, such as disease or injury. Vitamin B12 has the strongest evidence rating, since low levels are a common cause of reversible cognitive impairment, and omega-3 fatty acids rate moderate. In four small oxiracetam trials, cognitive decline eased. Those studies included only about 60 people, so that evidence is limited.
Sources: PMID 2521069; PMID 2781039
- Supplements studied
- 2
- Graded outcomes
- 2
- Trials
- 1
- People studied
- 60
Evidence by supplement
- Strong
- Moderate
- Limited
- Very limited
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cognitive Decline Small Improvement | Improves (the measure goes down) | Small effect | 4 studies | 60 people | ||
| Memory | Improves (the measure goes up) | 60 people | ||||
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aggression Small Improvement | Improves (the measure goes up) | Small effect | 60 people | |||
| Cognitive Decline | Improves (the measure goes down) | 5 studies | 60 people | |||
Studies that measured cognitive decline | ||||||
| Memory | Improves (the measure goes up) | 1 study | 60 people | |||
Studies that measured memory | ||||||
Key findings
- Cognitive DeclineImproves (the measure goes down)
- AggressionImproves (the measure goes up)
The Organic Brain Syndrome Supportive Care protocol
2 primary supplements · 8 supporting supplements
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids2–4 g EPA+DHA daily
- Vitamin B121,000–2,000 mcg methylcobalamin daily (or injection if absorption issue)
Studies cited
16 studies from PubMed
- Oxiracetam in the treatment of multi-infarct dementia and primary degenerative dementia
- Oxiracetam in the treatment of multi-infarct dementia
- Oxiracetam in dementia: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study
- Oxiracetam in the treatment of primary degenerative and multi-infarct dementia: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study
- Treatment trial of oxiracetam in Alzheimer's disease
- Double-blind, placebo-controlled trial on the effect of piracetam on breath-holding spells
- Piracetam in severe breath holding spells
- Clinical efficacy of piracetam in treatment of breath-holding spells
- [On the dose-effect relationship in the therapy with piracetam (author's transl)]
- Drug therapy and memory training programs: a double-blind randomized trial of general practice patients with age-associated memory impairment
- Neuropsychological changes in demented patients treated with acetyl-L-carnitine
- Increase in the power of human memory in normal man through the use of drugs
- Clinical efficacy of piracetam in cognitive impairment: a meta-analysis
- Long-term and high-dose piracetam treatment of Alzheimer's disease
- Does long term use of piracetam improve speech disturbances due to ischemic cerebrovascular diseases
- A double blind investigation of piracetam (Nootropil) vs placebo in geriatric memory