Conclusions Piracetam plays a limited role in the rehabilitation of overall language impairment and only benefits written language ability at the end of trials .
Its effect on overall linguistic level and written language tends to emerge within a short period and declines thereafter
Background Aphasia is a common symptom in post-stroke patients .
Piracetam is a commonly used nootropic agent that promises various benefits to brain function , including language improvement .
Objective We performed a systematic review and meta- analysis to assess whether piracetam facilitates the rehabilitation of language performance in post-stroke patients .
The effect of piracetam on short- and long-term verbal retrieval in dyslexic boys.
Studies of 60 dyslexic boys age 8 - 14 , carefully selected for exclusion of intellectual , sensory , psychiatric and neurological impairment and educational deprivation , were conducted to determine the efficacy of Piracetam , over a 12-week period , in improving reading and other related skills . There were no changes at the end of 12 weeks to distinguish the groups in accuracy or comprehension of prose-reading . Short-term memory gains , however , were recorded for the treated group on two different tests ,  digit span  , and a test ( Neimark ) of immediate and delayed recall . The mean digit span scaled score for the entire group was one S.D. below their mean IQ . Considering only the performance of children whose digit span scaled scores were one S.D. or below the mean ( 7 or less ) , the treated group made a significant gain at the end of 12 weeks . On the Neimark test the treated group was significantly superior to the untreated group on first trial learning and they also lost significantly fewer object names after a delay . Improved retrieval from long-term storage could be demonstrated for the treated group on the rapid automatized naming test . Although there was no significant difference between the group at screening , the treated group was significantly faster on letter naming at the end of the drug trial . The treated group also improved their single word reading on the WRAT
Conclusions Piracetam plays a limited role in the rehabilitation of overall language impairment and only benefits written language ability at the end of trials .
Its effect on overall linguistic level and written language tends to emerge within a short period and declines thereafter
Background Aphasia is a common symptom in post-stroke patients .
Piracetam is a commonly used nootropic agent that promises various benefits to brain function , including language improvement .
Objective We performed a systematic review and meta- analysis to assess whether piracetam facilitates the rehabilitation of language performance in post-stroke patients .