Role of Nootropics in Intensive Care Unit
Mahmoud Kamal Metawe;
Abstract
Detection of unambiguous signs of disorders of consciousness is not always easy especially in patients with limited behavioral responses, such as coma survivors so it is necessary to differentiate different types of disorders of conscious and how to diagnose them.
Coma is defined as a pathological state related to severe and prolonged dysfunction of vigilance and consciousness .This state results from global brain dysfunction (most often due to diffuse axonal injury following traumatic brain injury), or from a lesion limited to brainstem structures involving the reticular activating system.
The "vegetative state" (VS) suggests a preservation of autonomic functions (e.g., cardio-vascular, respiratory and thermoregulation functions) and reemergence of the sleep-wake cycle (i.e., periods of spontaneous eyes opening) that often results from trauma-induced bi-hemispheric injury involving the white matter or from bilateral lesions in the thalamus with sparing of the brainstem, hypothalamus and basal ganglia.
The minimally conscious state is characterized by the presence of inconsistent but clearly-discernible behavioral signs of consciousness. These behaviors are contingent upon appropriate environmental triggers which are randomized in vegetative state (VS).
Functional neuroimaging, PET and fMRI, as well as EEG and evoked potential studies are the most effective tools in diagnosis of patient with DOC.
Nootropics; also known as cognitive enhancer or smart drugs, is a very widely used term for any drug, supplement or food which enhances cognitive function. They have been with us for thousands of years. The first use of smart drugs to improve brain power and function can be traced to the Chinese, who used extracts such as ginseng and ginkgo biloba, as well as various herbal tea preparations. These drugs, which produced a state of alertness, enhanced libido and produced ability to work longer hours, could be said to be the first examples of the use of nootropics by Man. Since then, various substances have been used to improve certain functions controlled by the brain in the search to produce more advanced human function. Since the synthesis of the first nootropic drug Piracetam (nootropil), several other smart drugs have been developed. These drugs have very wide and varied effects on the brain and the nervous system due to the sheer complexity and number of chemical neurotransmitters present in the nervous system of human.
They should have the following characteristics: enhance learning and memory, enhance the resistance of learned behaviors/memories to conditions which tend to disrupt them (e.g.; electroconvulsive shock, hypoxia), protect the brain against various physical or chemical injuries, increase the efficacy of the tonic cortical/subcortical control mechanisms, lack the usual pharmacology of other psychotropic drugs (e.g.; sedation, motor stimulation) and possess very few side effects and extremely low toxicity.
Coma is defined as a pathological state related to severe and prolonged dysfunction of vigilance and consciousness .This state results from global brain dysfunction (most often due to diffuse axonal injury following traumatic brain injury), or from a lesion limited to brainstem structures involving the reticular activating system.
The "vegetative state" (VS) suggests a preservation of autonomic functions (e.g., cardio-vascular, respiratory and thermoregulation functions) and reemergence of the sleep-wake cycle (i.e., periods of spontaneous eyes opening) that often results from trauma-induced bi-hemispheric injury involving the white matter or from bilateral lesions in the thalamus with sparing of the brainstem, hypothalamus and basal ganglia.
The minimally conscious state is characterized by the presence of inconsistent but clearly-discernible behavioral signs of consciousness. These behaviors are contingent upon appropriate environmental triggers which are randomized in vegetative state (VS).
Functional neuroimaging, PET and fMRI, as well as EEG and evoked potential studies are the most effective tools in diagnosis of patient with DOC.
Nootropics; also known as cognitive enhancer or smart drugs, is a very widely used term for any drug, supplement or food which enhances cognitive function. They have been with us for thousands of years. The first use of smart drugs to improve brain power and function can be traced to the Chinese, who used extracts such as ginseng and ginkgo biloba, as well as various herbal tea preparations. These drugs, which produced a state of alertness, enhanced libido and produced ability to work longer hours, could be said to be the first examples of the use of nootropics by Man. Since then, various substances have been used to improve certain functions controlled by the brain in the search to produce more advanced human function. Since the synthesis of the first nootropic drug Piracetam (nootropil), several other smart drugs have been developed. These drugs have very wide and varied effects on the brain and the nervous system due to the sheer complexity and number of chemical neurotransmitters present in the nervous system of human.
They should have the following characteristics: enhance learning and memory, enhance the resistance of learned behaviors/memories to conditions which tend to disrupt them (e.g.; electroconvulsive shock, hypoxia), protect the brain against various physical or chemical injuries, increase the efficacy of the tonic cortical/subcortical control mechanisms, lack the usual pharmacology of other psychotropic drugs (e.g.; sedation, motor stimulation) and possess very few side effects and extremely low toxicity.
Other data
| Title | Role of Nootropics in Intensive Care Unit | Other Titles | دور المنشطات الدماغية في وحدة الرعاية المركزة | Authors | Mahmoud Kamal Metawe | Issue Date | 2015 |
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