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Supplement

Oxiracetam

Oxiracetam is a lab-made compound from the racetam family that is thought to influence AMPA receptors, which help nerve cells signal to each other and form memories. People mostly look at it for dementia, and across four small studies the evidence was moderate that cognitive decline improved. A separate look at day-to-day functioning found no clear difference, and that evidence is very limited, so the picture is far from settled.

Sources: PMID 2521069; PMID 2781039

Best evidence
Grade B
Conditions studied
5
Outcomes
10
Graded outcomes
0111

Evidence by condition

  • Strong
  • Moderate
  • Limited
  • Very limited

5 conditions

Dementia: outcomes studied for Oxiracetam
GradeOutcomeEffectSizeStudiesPeopleStudies list
Cognitive Decline

Small Improvement

Improves (the measure goes down)Small effect4 studies415 people
Functionality in Elderly or Injured

No effect

NoneNo effect73 people
MemoryImproves (the measure goes up)272 people
Quality of LifeImproves (the measure goes up)58 people
Verbal FluencyImproves (the measure goes up)131 people
Organic Brain Syndrome: outcomes studied for Oxiracetam
GradeOutcomeEffectSizeStudiesPeopleStudies list
Cognitive Decline

Small Improvement

Improves (the measure goes down)Small effect4 studies60 people
MemoryImproves (the measure goes up)60 people

Alzheimer’s Disease

  • Alzheimer's Disease Symptoms: improves
Alzheimer’s Disease: outcomes studied for Oxiracetam
GradeOutcomeEffectSizeStudiesPeopleStudies list
Alzheimer's Disease SymptomsImproves (the measure goes down)1 study24 people

Studies that measured alzheimer's disease symptoms

Cognitive Improvement

  • Alzheimer's Disease Symptoms: improves
Cognitive Improvement: outcomes studied for Oxiracetam
GradeOutcomeEffectSizeStudiesPeopleStudies list
Alzheimer's Disease SymptomsImproves (the measure goes down)1 study24 people

Studies that measured alzheimer's disease symptoms

Alzheimer’s Disease

  • Alzheimer's Disease Symptoms: changes; see studies
Alzheimer’s Disease: outcomes studied for Oxiracetam
GradeOutcomeEffectSizeStudiesPeopleStudies list
Alzheimer's Disease SymptomsChanges; see studies1 study24 people

Studies that measured alzheimer's disease symptoms

Key findings

  • Cognitive DeclineDementiaImproves (the measure goes down)
  • Functionality in Elderly or InjuredDementia

Shop the evidence-backed picks

Third-party tested Oxiracetam products, in the forms the graded studies used where we can match them.

  • Grade B

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Studies cited

5 studies from PubMed

  1. Oxiracetam in the treatment of multi-infarct dementia and primary degenerative dementiaJ Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci · PMID 2521069
  2. Oxiracetam in the treatment of multi-infarct dementiaProg Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry · PMID 2781039
  3. Oxiracetam in dementia: a double-blind, placebo-controlled studyActa Neurol Scand · PMID 1414239
  4. Oxiracetam in the treatment of primary degenerative and multi-infarct dementia: a double-blind, placebo-controlled studyNeuropsychobiology · PMID 2693996
  5. Treatment trial of oxiracetam in Alzheimer's diseaseArch Neurol · PMID 1444879