Working memory is the capacity to maintain task-relevant information for a short period of time. A deficit in working memory is a key symptom of psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and ADHD.
Fampridine has been shown to positively affect cognitive performance in MS patients and to alleviate accompanying mental fatigue. Comprehensive analyses also show that the drug acts on certain ion channels in nerve cells that may play a role in conditions like schizophrenia.
Against this backdrop, researchers from the University of Basel, Switzerland, conducted a placebo-controlled crossover trial with 43 healthy young adults to assess fampridine’s effects on working memory after 3.5 days of twice daily administration.
No association was observed when baseline cognitive performance was not taken into account. The researchers found, however, that fampridine was linked to higher working memory performance among those with lower baseline performance when compared to a placebo.
The researchers further found that repeated intake of fampridine lowered the resting motor threshold, which indicated increased cortical excitability and, thus, faster processing of stimuli in all participants.
“Fampridine doesn’t improve working memory in everyone. But it could be a treatment option for those with reduced working memory,” said co-lead author of the study, Professor Andreas Papassotiropoulos of the University of Basel, in a press release.
“That’s why, together with researchers from the University Psychiatric Clinics Basel (UPK), we’re planning studies to test the efficacy of fampridine in schizophrenia and depression,” added co-lead author of the study, Professor Dominique de Quervain, also of the University of Basel, in a press release.
Sources: Neuroscience News, Molecular Psychiatry