TY  - JOUR
A1  - Leuner, Kristina
A1  - Kurz, Christopher
A1  - Guidetti, Giorgio
A1  - Orgogozo, Jean-Marc
A1  - Müller, Walter E.
T1  - Improved mitochondrial function in brain aging and Alzheimer disease – the new mechanism of action of the old metabolic enhancer piracetam
T2  - Frontiers in neuropharmacology
N2  - Piracetam, the prototype of the so-called nootropic drugs’ is used since many years in different countries to treat cognitive impairment in aging and dementia. Findings that piracetam enhances fluidity of brain mitochondrial membranes led to the hypothesis that piracetam might improve mitochondrial function, e.g., might enhance ATP synthesis. This assumption has recently been supported by a number of observations showing enhanced mitochondrial membrane potential, enhanced ATP production, and reduced sensitivity for apoptosis in a variety of cell and animal models for aging and Alzheimer disease. As a specific consequence, substantial evidence for elevated neuronal plasticity as a specific effect of piracetam has emerged. Taken together, this new findings can explain many of the therapeutic effects of piracetam on cognition in aging and dementia as well as different situations of brain dysfunctions. Keywords: mitochondrial dysfunction, alzheimer’s disease, aging, oxidative stress, piracetam
KW  - mitochondrial dysfunction
KW  - alzheimer’s disease
KW  - aging
KW  - oxidative stress
KW  - piracetam
Y1  - 2010
UR  - http://publikationen.ub.uni-frankfurt.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/20672
UR  - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:hebis:30-89118
N1  - Copyright: © 2010 Leuner, Kurz, Guidetti, Orgogozo and Müller. This is an open-access article subject to an exclusive license agreement between the authors and the Frontiers Research Foundation, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original authors and source are credited.
VL  - 4
IS  - 44
ER  -