Dementia is a mental disorder characterized by loss of intellectual ability sufficiently severe enough to interfere with one's occupational or social activities. Desmodium gangeticum commonly known as Salparni, is widely used in ayurveda for the treatment of neurological disorders. The present work was designed to assess the potential of aqueous extract of D. gangeticum (DG) as a nootropic agen...

The translocator protein (TSPO) promotes the translocation of cholesterol to the inner mitochondrial membrane and mediates steroid formation. In this study, we first report on a biological evaluation of the dipeptide GD-23 (N-carbobenzoxy-L tryptophanyl-L isoleucine amide), a structural analogue of Alpidem, the principal TSPO ligand. We show that GD-23 in a dose range of 0.05 to 0.5 mg/kg (i.p....

Objective: The present study was undertaken to evaluate the antidepressant and nootropic potential of aqueous extract of Indigofera tinctoria (ITAE). Methods: Antidepressant activity of ITAE was evaluated in mice by using the forced swim test (FST), tail suspension test tail suspension test and tetrabenazine induced catalepsy and ptosis models at doses of 250 and 500 mg/kg orally. Nootropic act...

Cure of cognitive disorders such as amnesia, attention deficit and Alzheimer's disease is still a nightmare in the field of medicine. Nootropic agents such as piracetam, aniracetam and choline esterase inhibitors like Donepezil are being used to improve memory, mood and behavior, but the resulting side effects associated with these agents have made their use limited. The present study was under...

Spinal trau ma occurs when there is damage to the spinal cord that results in a bruise, a partial tear, or a complete tear. Because the spinal cord is the central carrier of signals throughout the body, damage to the spinal cord can have serious consequences. During a 5 year period (2005 – 2009), 39 patient’s spinal trauma – were treated in the Neurology department of RCSUMA. The patients were ...

Loss of cognition is one of the age related mental problems and a characteristic symptom of neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's. Crataeva nurvala Buch-Ham, a well explored traditional Indian medicinal plant of Westernghats, is routinely used as folkloric medicine to treat various ailments in particular urolithiasis and neurological disorders associated with cognitive dysfunction. The o...

Nootropic effect of alcoholic (ALE; 50, 75, 100 mg/kg) and aqueous (AQE; 100, 200, 400 mg/kg) extracts of P. tuberosa was evaluated by using Elevated Plus Maze (EPM), scopolamine-induced amnesia (SIA), diazepam-induced amnesia (DIA), clonidine-induced (NA-mediated) hypothermia (CIH), lithium-induced (5-HT mediated) head twitches (LIH) and haloperidol-induced (DA- mediated) catalepsy (HIC) model...

The aerial parts of Vitis vinifera Linn. (Common grape, Hindi ⎯ Angur) have been widely used in Ayurveda to treat a variety of common and stress related disorders. The seed extract of grapes was evaluated by Sreemantula and others for antistress activity in normal and stress induced rats. Furthermore, the extract was studied for nootropic activity in rats and in vitro antioxidant potential to c...

Piracetam (2-oxo-1-pyrrolidine-acetamide), the most common of the nootropic drugs, is a cyclic derivative of gamma-aminobutyric acid. The treatment with piracetam improves learning, memory, brain metabolism, and capacity. Piracetam has been shown to alter the physical properties of the plasma membrane by increasing its fluidity and by protecting the cell against hypoxia. It increases red cell d...

Nootropics or smart drugs are well-known compounds or supplements that enhance the cognitive performance. They work by increasing the mental function such as memory, creativity, motivation, and attention. Recent researches were focused on establishing a new potential nootropic derived from synthetic and natural products. The influence of nootropic in the brain has been studied widely. The nootr...