Accelerated remission of the alcoholic organic brain syndrome with EMD 21657. Double-blind clinical and psychometric trials.

The efficacy of EMD 21657--a derivative of a pyritinol metabolite--on the alcoholic orangic brain syndrome (OBS)) was investigated in a double-blind placebo-controlled study. 19 patients received 3X300 mg EMD, 21 patients 3X1 dragée placebo throughout 6 weeks. The two groups did not differ as to age, sex, weight, height, alcohol anamnesis and IQ. Investigations were carried out before and at the end of the 2nd, 4th and 6th weeks of drug treatment. While an overall evaluation by doctor and patient at the end of the therapy did not reveal any signficant differences, it was found by means of the global score and OBS score that the OBS improved under both substances, but significantly more so with EMD. Psychometric analysis demonstrated that EMD was superior to placebo in regard to general, associative and numeric memory, concentration and attention variability, psychomotor activity, affect and mood, while the Benton test and attention showed opposite findings. Side effects were observed more under EMD than placebo therapy and consisted of temporary headaches and dizziness. Our findings demonstrated that EMD 21657 has pronounced nootropic and some thymotropic effects.