H3 Book Index:: Chapters 1-29
While with the exception of the MAG inhibiting theory of procaine little original pharmacological work has been done in this country, some very interesting
information has come to light concerning the action ofdimethylamino-ethanol (DMAE), a slightly changed form of diethylamino-ethanol (DAE).
Prof. Carl Pfeiffer, professor of pharmacology at Emory University in Atlanta, Ga., and his co-workers have reported their
findings in Science Guly, 1957) and the Journal of
Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (1958). Since their research may contain a clue which will help researchers answer the riddle of how procaine works, we summarize it here.
Daily oral doses of 10 to 20 mg DMAE within seven to ten days produce a mild and pleasant degree of central nervous stimulation, which is characterized by less fatigue and sounder sleep. Also, fewer hours of sleep are needed. Larger doses may result in increased muscle tone but may also produce insomnia. The stimulation of the central nervous system is not accompanied by a rise in blood pressure, a rise in body temperature, or a change in the plasma level of protein-bound iodine.
The similarity between DMAE and the DAE component of procaine and the similarity of the effects produced by these two compounds in the human body would indicate that when medical science learns how one works, it will also understand the mechanism of action of the other.
In Prof. Pfeiffer's second paper he discussed a double-blind study, comparing DMAE therapy to a placebo. A questionnaire was used to supplement
weekly measurements of heart rate, blood pressure, muscle strength, hand steadiness, vital capacity and body weight. This therapy continued for three months, and during the last six weeks all students were being treated with D MAE. In Prof. Pfeiffer's own words:
"Significant subjective changes found in the DMAE-treated group were increased muscle tone, increased mental concentration, changes in sleep habits. In most instances the sleep habit was less sleep required. Others reported sounder sleep with earlier, clear-minded awakening. A mood change to greater affability or mild euphoria was coupled with a more outgoing or outspoken personality. No significant changes occurred in heart rate, blood pressure, muscle strength, handsteadiness, vital capacity and body weight. . . . Twenty-five out of the 35 students noted mental stimulation, which increased daily in the fIrst week of medication and was greater than that produced by amphetamine [a so-called "pep" pill]. Five students discerned no effect at the dosage used. Unlike that produced by amphetamine, the DMAE stimulation lasted 24 to 48 hours after discontinuation of the dosage, and was not accompanied by a rebound period of depression. An overdosage produced insomnia, muscle tenseness and spontaneous isolated muscle twitches."
Other researchers have since reported similar effects with a DMAE drug called Deano!. Two members of the University of Washington School of Medicine, in Seattle, have stated that in a group of 100 patients suffering from various psychiatric disorders, especially exhaustion and depression, increased energy and lessened depression were noted in most cases after the initiation of the therapy with Deano!. Improvement usually occurs within a few days and no side effects are observed, except for occasional overstimulation, which is controlled by a reduction in dosage.
Four years ago, Richard Hochschild reported in Experimental Gerontology that DMAE which is synthesized in very small amounts by human beings and which is found in all living organisms, may retard the aging process. In his experiments with senile mice, Hochschild found that when treatment was begun past the mean expected life span of the animals, the treated group had a mean survival time of 85.1 days as against 56.9 days for the controls, an increase of 49.5 percent. In another experiment, mean survival time of white mice was 12.39 months after the onset for the DMAE-treated group and only 9.73 months for the controls, a life extension of 27.3 per cent. In view of its very low toxicity Hochschild recommends further tests with D MAE in relation to its role in the human aging process. These tests could also throw additional light on the efficacy of procaine.
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H3 Book Index:: Chapters 1-29
