Ampakines have a broad range of potential therapeutic applications. These include relief of the effects of sleep deprivation, poor memories, stupidity (yes, they could be smart drugs!), Alzheimers, other forms of dementia, and general cognitive decline. Memory decline in human aging and dementia is linked to dysfunction of the cholinergic system.
Ampakines increase excitatory monosynaptic (that is - by one synapse between two neurons) responses, allowing increased communication rates through the neural network. There is hope that ampakines may improve long-term potentiation that assists in memory.
CX-516 (Ampalex) is known to enhance response of neuronal receptors, and it suspected to be a potential therapy for Alzheimer's Disease. Preliminary results suggest that CX516 and other ampakines hold promise for the treatment of schizophrenia. A 2006 study at the University of Alberta found that CX-546 reversed respitory depression in rats. It worked for both opiod and barbituate-induced repitory depression.
A research team centered at Wake Forest University is verifying and extending preliminary data demonstrating that the novel class of medicines known as "Ampakines" is protective against cognitive deficits associated with sleep deprivation. Ampakines already have been proven safe in humans, and are currently in clinical trials for the restoration of mental function in patients with dementia. It is envisioned that Ampakines may provide an alternative to current stimulant medications used by pilots.
Scientists continue to delve into the neuroanatomical, neurochemical, and molecular basis of wakefulness, which remains largely a mystery. It is known that multiple brain areas (hypothalamus, thalamus, and basal forebrain) must integrate and relay information from the brainstem to the cortex for the brain to be wakeful. Britain's Academy of Medical Sciences projects that cognitive enhancement drugs will eventually become widespread and prompt regulation. The think-tank Furturelab reported to the British government that enhancement drugs may have to be subsidized so wealthy children do not gain an unfair advantage over their poorer classmates.
Do you want a “super-memory”? Maybe not. People with huge memories are often poor at problem-solving and remembering so much seems to degrade the ability to generalize – which is a hallmark of intelligence. It might be that the memory capacity of the healthy young adult or teen is optimal. Ampakines and similar drugs may find the most demand for age-related memory decline, and certainly for mental illnesses like Alzheimer's and Huntington's.