Role of piracetam in treatment of cerebral palsy disease

Abstract

The term cerebral palsy (CP) refers to neurological disorders that appear in infancy or early childhood and permanently affect body movement and muscle coordination. Piracetam is a compound chemically related to gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). It crosses the blood-brain barrier but does not produce any overt central or autonomic nervous system effects. The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate and compare the effect of different doses of Piracetam on clinical status and intellectual power of cerebral palsy patient. The study was carried out on 40 cerebral palsy patients; 22 out of them were females, aged from 1 to 4.75 years old; from outpatient clinic at Beni Suef University Hospital. Patients were divided into four equal groups. Group A received dose 40mg/kg/day, group B received dose 80mg/kg/day, group C received dose 120mg/kg/day and group D was the control group, did not receive any Piracetam. Patients were treated and followed up for 6 month. They were represented by full history taking and clinical examination. The Intelligence quotient (IQ) test was done for every patient to evaluate mental development before starting piracetam treatment and every month for six months. There was an improvement in general health of children after therapy and quotient. Dose 120mg/kg/day of piracetam was found to be the most effective dose piracetam in the treatment of cerebral palsy disease as shown by improved scores of IQ test. The best improvement in mental and motor development was greatly observed in group C. Dose 40mg/kg/day of piracetam showed insignificant effect on improving the IQ of the patients.