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Piracetam is a lab-made compound from the racetam family, thought to influence how brain cells communicate. People mostly look at it for dementia, but the evidence there is very limited: a single small study of 24 people found no clear difference in cognition. Broader research on cognitive impairment looked more encouraging, with five studies covering 213 people finding less cognitive decline, though those studies were modest in size and involved a different group.
Sources: PMID 2387665
- Updated
- How we grade
- 11 studies cited
- Best evidence
- Grade B
- Conditions studied
- 10
- Outcomes
- 15
- Graded outcomes
- 0112
Evidence by condition
- Strong
- Moderate
- Limited
- Very limited
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cognitive Decline Moderate Improvement | Improves (the measure goes down) | Moderate effect | 5 studies | 213 people | ||
Studies that measured cognitive decline
| ||||||
| Cognition No effect | NoneNo effect | 1 study | 24 people | |||
Studies that measured cognition | ||||||
| Memory | Improves (the measure goes up) | 1 study | 16 people | |||
Studies that measured memory | ||||||
| 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 | ||||||
Dementia
- Cognition
- Cognitive Decline: improves
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cognition No effect | NoneNo effect | 1 study | 24 people | |||
Studies that measured cognition | ||||||
| Cognitive Decline | Improves (the measure goes down) | 5 studies | 1,488 people | |||
Studies that measured cognitive decline
| ||||||
Age Associated Memory Impairment And Cognitive Decline Aamcd
- Cognitive Decline: improves
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cognitive Decline | Improves (the measure goes down) | 5 studies | 1,488 people | |||
Studies that measured cognitive decline
| ||||||
Alzheimer’s Disease
- Cognitive Decline: improves
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cognitive Decline | Improves (the measure goes down) | 5 studies | 30 people | |||
Studies that measured cognitive decline
| ||||||
Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)
- Cognitive Decline: improves
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cognitive Decline | Improves (the measure goes down) | 5 studies | 1,488 people | |||
Studies that measured cognitive decline
| ||||||
Alzheimer’s Disease
- Cognitive Decline: changes; see studies
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cognitive Decline | Changes; see studies | 5 studies | 30 people | |||
Studies that measured cognitive decline
| ||||||
Age-Associated Memory Impairment and Cognitive Decline (AAMCD)
- Cognitive Decline: changes; see studies
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cognitive Decline | Changes; see studies | 5 studies | 1,488 people | |||
Studies that measured cognitive decline
| ||||||
Breath Holding Spells
- Breath Holding Spell Episodes: improves
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breath Holding Spell Episodes | Improves (the measure goes up) | 3 studies | 171 people | |||
Studies that measured breath holding spell episodes | ||||||
Stroke
- Stroke Recovery: improves
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stroke Recovery | Improves (the measure goes up) | 1 study | 30 people | |||
Studies that measured stroke recovery | ||||||
Key findings
- Cognitive DeclineImproves (the measure goes down)
- AggressionImproves (the measure goes up)
- Cognition
Shop the evidence-backed picks
Third-party tested Piracetam products, in the forms the graded studies used where we can match them.
- Grade B
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Studies cited
11 studies from PubMed
- 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