No abstract available.
Nootropic Agents*

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most typical progressive and irreversible dementia characterized by loss of intellectual capacity in many domains, altered behavior, inability to care for oneself, and ultimately neurologic abnormalities. In the treatment of AD, the focus is limited to relief of cognitive and behavioral symptoms. But the choice of adequate treatment according to severity level is difficult task for maintaining patient's quality of life. We experienced a case of typical presenile Alzheimer's disease who progressed severe dementia while being treated with cognitive enhancers and psychosocial intervention for three years. In review of this case, we conclude that early detection and active treatment of presenile dementia is most important factor for delaying of progress and decreasing of family burden.
Alzheimer Disease ; Behavioral Symptoms ; Dementia* ; Humans ; Nootropic Agents ; Quality of Life

It is testified by long-standing traditional Chinese medicine clinical practice that ginseng was effective in treating dementia and promoting capability of learning and memory, for which ginsenoside Rg1 has been proved the main effective ingredient. Recently many researches have been carried out on the mechanism and action links of ginsenoside Rg1, and illustrated that it could exert the anti-dementia and nootropic effects through intervening multiple targets and links, thus to provide a theoretical basis for bettering the clinical use of ginsenoside Rg1.
Animals ; Ginsenosides ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Learning ; drug effects ; Memory ; drug effects ; Neuronal Plasticity ; drug effects ; Nootropic Agents ; pharmacology

This paper reviews history of new drug development in Korea as well as researchs on development of new psychotherapeutic drug from traditional medicines or natural products in Korea. Korea has a long history of traditional medicine and accumulated knowledge of natural resources. However, only a few new drug have been developed from those natural products. Now many researchers in Korea are devoting themselves to test the possibility of natural products as antipsychotic drugs, antidepressants, anxiolytic drugs and cognitive enhancers. However, only a few graduates from traditional medical schools in Korea are engaging in research on developing new drug from natural products and they are not familiar to research methods of western medicine and pharmacology. For research and development of new drug from natural products or traditional medicines, many researchers should be trained for methodology of basic medicine, pharmacology, pharmacognosy, and oriential pharmacy. Government and pharmaceutical companies need to provide more investment for R & D for new drug from natural products including establishment of data base for component of traditional medicines and natural products, system development integrating information technology, bio-technology and nanotechnology, and international collaboration with advanced countries which have common interest in new drug development from natural products.
Antidepressive Agents ; Antipsychotic Agents ; Biological Products ; Natural Resources ; Cooperative Behavior ; Investments ; Korea ; Medicine, Korean Traditional ; Medicine, Traditional ; Nanotechnology ; Nootropic Agents ; Pharmacognosy ; Pharmacology ; Pharmacy ; Schools, Medical

OBJECTIVETo investigate the therapeutic effects of modified Sanjiasan decoction (MSD) on vascular dementia (VD).

METHODSThirty-seven patients in the treated group were given MSD, one dosage each day, and 31 patients in the control group were administered orally Naofukang 0.8 g three times a day. The treatment course for both groups was three months. The indices as Hasegawa dementia scale (HDS), mini mental state examination (MMSE) and its subentries, intelligence quotient (IQ) and memory quotient (MQ) were examined.

RESULTSMSD could improve the scores of HDS, MMSE and its subentries (P<0.05 or P<0.01), ameliorate dementia state and enhance IQ (P<0.05) and MQ (P<0.01) in patients with VD.

CONCLUSIONMSD has a certain effect on intelligence benefiting and dementia antagonizing.

Aged ; Dementia, Vascular ; drug therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Intelligence ; drug effects ; Intelligence Tests ; Male ; Materia Medica ; therapeutic use ; Middle Aged ; Nootropic Agents ; therapeutic use ; Phytotherapy

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of combined therapy of exercise and nootropic agent on cognitive function in a focal cerebral infarction rat model. METHOD: Forty 10-week old male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to photothrombotic cerebral infarction of the left parietal lobe. All rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: group A was photothrombotic cerebral infarction rats without any treatment (n=10); group B was photothrombotic cerebral infarction rats with swimming exercise (n=10); group C was photothrombotic cerebral infarction rats with oral administration of acetyl-L-carnitine (n=10); group D was photothrombotic cerebral infarction rats with swimming exercise and oral administration of acetyl-L-carnitine (n=10). Cognitive function was evaluated using the Morris water maze test on the 1st day, and the 1st, 2nd, and 4th week after the induction of cerebral infarction. The activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and the level of malondialdehyde (MDA) in the hippocampus were measured. The neuronal cells of the hippocampus were histopathologically evaluated. RESULTS: The escape latency was shorter in groups B, C, and D than in group A. However, the differences were not statistically significant at the 1st, 2nd and 4th week. The activity of SOD was the highest in group D. The level of MDA was the lowest in group D. We observed more normal neuronal cells in groups B, C, and D. CONCLUSION: The combined therapy of exercise and nootropic agent was helpful in ameliorating oxidative stress in the focal cerebral infarction rat model. However, the effect did not translate into improvement of cognitive function.
Acetylcarnitine ; Administration, Oral ; Animals ; Cerebral Infarction ; Cognition ; Hippocampus ; Humans ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; Maze Learning ; Neurons ; Nootropic Agents ; Oxidative Stress ; Parietal Lobe ; Piracetam ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Superoxide Dismutase ; Swimming ; United Nations

OBJECTIVETo observe the clinical therapeutic effect of Shuizhitong capsule (SZT) in treating senile vascular dementia (VD) and on changes of related physio-chemical criteria.

METHODSEighty-five patients with VD were randomly divided into the treated group (n = 51) and the control group (n = 34) in the ratio of 3:2, treated with SZT and Piracetam respectively. Before and after treatment, the Zhang's Dementia Scoring (HDS) and Function of Social Activity Questionnaire (FAQ) scoring, cerebral blood flow and hemorrheologic properties were determined.

RESULTSSZT could significantly improve the patients' clinical symptoms, intracranial hemodynamic condition and the hyperviscosity, hypercoagulation and hyperaggregation status, lower the whole blood and plasma specific viscosity, raise the living standard of partial patients, with significant difference between before and after treatment (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe therapeutic effect of SZT in treating senile VD is definite.

Aged ; Blood Viscosity ; drug effects ; Capsules ; Cerebrovascular Circulation ; drug effects ; Dementia, Vascular ; drug therapy ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Hemorheology ; drug effects ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nootropic Agents ; therapeutic use ; Phytotherapy

Acetylcholine ; metabolism ; Animals ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Brain ; metabolism ; Ginsenosides ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Hippocampus ; cytology ; Memory ; drug effects ; Neuronal Plasticity ; drug effects ; Nootropic Agents ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Panax ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry

Animals ; Dementia, Vascular ; drug therapy ; physiopathology ; Hippocampus ; metabolism ; physiopathology ; Learning ; drug effects ; Male ; Memory ; drug effects ; Nootropic Agents ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Pyrrolidinones ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

OBJECTIVETo observe the clinical effect of Yuantong Capsule (YTC) in treating vascular dementia (VD).

METHODSEighty-three patients of VD were randomized on ratio of 2:1 into two groups, the 54 patients in the treated group were treated with YTC orally administered, 3 times a day, 1 capsule in each time. The remaining 29 patients in the control group were treated with Hydergine orally, 3 times a day, 2 mg in each time. The therapeutic course for both groups was 2 months.

RESULTSThe therapeutic effect in the treated group was significantly better than that in the control group, significant difference (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01) was shown in comparison of the two groups in terms of the mini-mental state examination (MMSE) and activity of daily living (ADL) test, symptoms scoring, total effective rate, and laboratory indexes findings.

CONCLUSIONThe therapeutic effect of YTC in treating VD was obvious.

Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Capsules ; Dementia, Vascular ; drug therapy ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Ergoloid Mesylates ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nootropic Agents ; therapeutic use ; Phytotherapy