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INTRODUCTION the first compound have been demonstrated on theCNS [7], and of the second on immune responses [8].The history of phosphatidylserine (PtdSer) beganmore than 50 years ago with its identification byFolch [1], as a constituent of the cephaline fraction, up BIOCHEMICAL ACTIONSto its clinical use for the treatment of the ‘ageingbrain’ [2]. This use remains a matter of debate [3]. PtdSer is the most effective acidic phospholipid inDuring these 50 years PtdSer has been the object of a activating the different protein kinase C isoforms [9].large number of investigations aimed at defining the A stimulation of the (Na

In this presentation the term “nootropic drugs” indicates a group of cognition enhancers with different chemical structures, but mostly pyrrolidinone derivatives (Merlini and Pinza, 1989), which enhance information acquisition, protect against learning and memory impairment induced by age, drugs and brain lesions, and have a low toxicity (Schindler et al., 1984). Interest in the potential usefulness of these drugs for treatment of cognitive disorders has resulted in recent years in a better understanding of their pharmacological properties. However, so far the clinical results have not matched the expectations borne out by the pharmacological experiments. This paper is a short overview of the state of the art of the pharmacology and clinical trials on the nootropics.

Pepeu, Giancarlo, Fiorella Casamenti, Felicita Pedata, Cristina Cosi and Ileana Marconcini Pepeu; Are the neurochemical and behavioral changes induced by lesions of the nucleus basalis in the rat a model of Alzheimer's disease? Prog. Neuro-Psychopharmacol. & Biol. Psychiat. 1986, 10 (3–5): 541–551. 1. 1. A review of the work on the neurochemical, electroencephalographic and behavioral changes induced in the rat by lesions of the nucleus basalis is presented. The similarities and differences between the effects of the lesions and the neurochemical and clinical alterations characterizing senile dementia of Alzheimer type are pointed out. 2. 2. The decrease in choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) activity in the cortex following unilateral or bilateral electrolytic or neurotoxic lesions of the nucleus basalis are described and compared with the decrease in ChAT activity found in the cortex and hippocampus of patients affected by senile dementia. At variance with the latter condition, in rats with lesions of the nucleus basalis a spontaneous recovery in cortical ChAT activity has been observed 3–6 months after the lesion. 3. 3. The lesions of the nucleus basalis decrease high affinity choline uptake activity which, however, undergoes a rapid recovery. Lesions also decrease spontaneous and drug-stimulated ACh release from the cerebral cortex. 4. 4. Transitory changes in the number of muscarinic binding sites have been reported in the cerebral cortex of the lesioned rats while a decrease in the number of muscarinic binding sites has generally been found in the cerebral cortex of patients with senile dementia. (3H) glutamate uptake in the striatum of the lesioned rats was not affected. 5. 5. In both lesioned rats and patients affected by senile dementia, a decrease of low voltage high frequency electrocortical activity has been reported. 6. 6. Unilateral and bilateral lesions of the nucleus basalis bring about an impairment of the acquisition of active and passive avoidance responses and of the rewarded alternation discriminatory tasks involving working memory and spatial memory. On the other hand, memory impairment is a typical symptom of senile dementia. 7. 7. In conclusion, the lesions of the nucleus basalis only partly mimick the complex clinical picture of senile dementia of Alzheimer type. They offer, nevertheless, a useful toof for understanding the critical role of the central cholinergic pathways in some of the cognitive processess and identifying potentially useful pharmacological treatments.

Muscarinic receptors exist in both peripheral tissues and the central nervous system. Their activation is responsible for all the effects elicited by parasympathetic stimulation in the peripheral organs and modulate ganglionic transmission (Wallis, 1979). In the central nervous system muscarinic receptors are involved in many functions connected with the cognitive processes, sleep mechanism, motility, blood pressure and water intake regulation (Karczmar, 1981).