Cortex' Ampalex Improves Memory

Ampalex (ampakine or CX-516) can accelerate impulses between neurons and seems to significantly improve memory in humans, according to a US researcher. The announcement was made at the Society for Neurosciences meeting in the USA by Gary Lynch of the University of California at Irvine, who is also a shareholder in Cortex Pharmaceuticals, the company which licenses the drug.

CX-516 acts by stimulating the AMPA glutamate receptors in the brain, which facilitates glutamatergic neurotransmission between nerve cells. It was discovered by Dr Lynch and colleagues at UCI in 1991.

Dr Lynch told the meeting that memory tests were conducted on a range of individuals, aged 20-70, who received a low dose of the drug. Tests involving 65-70 year-old men produced some striking results; the men achieved scores near the range of young people. In some of the memory tests younger individuals were assessed, and even these showed improvements of up to 20%. The results of the trials will be published in the journal Experimental Neurology in January.