Biological Correlates Psychotic Patients of Piracetam Clinical Effects

The purpose of this controlled clinical trial was to demonstrate possible correlations between changes in bioenergetic metabolism and psychotropic drug administration in the treatment of functional psychosis. The study included twenty-six patients, eleven with schizophrenia, three with chronic atypical depression and twelve with drug-resistant endogenous depressions. A II patients were kept on continuous psychotropic medication for at least 3 weeks before starting the trial, and piracetam was given additionally in a fixed dosage of 2400 mg daily; the same numberof identical capsules was given during the pre- andpost-treatmentplacebo periods. Psycho-pathological evaluationof the patients was by the BPRS; clinical and biochemical data were evaluated statistically by the analysis of regression. The results show that in schizophrenic patients an improvement was observed in those cases who had improved biochemically, i.e. where the A TP values had increased. In drug-resistant depressions there was a rapid and significant clinical improvement after piracetam co-administration, and this went in step with a significant rise inATPlevels.