indication

For the treatment of senile dementia, migraines of vascular origin, transient ischemia, platelet hyper-aggregability, and macular degeneration.

pharmacology

Nicergoline is a potent vasodilator (improves brain blood flow). On the cerebral level it prompts a lowering of vascular resistance, an increase in arterial flow and stimulates the use of oxygen and glucose. Nicergoline also improves blood circulation in the lungs and limbs and has been shown to inhibit blood platelet aggregation.

mechanism of action

Nicergoline acts by inhibiting the postsynaptic alpha(1)-adrenoceptors on vascular smooth muscle. This inhibits the vasoconstrictor effect of circulating and locally released catecholamines (epinephrine and norepinephrine), resulting in peripheral vasodilation. Therefore the mechanism of Nicergoline is to increase vascular circulation in the brain, thereby enhancing the transmission of nerve signals across the nerve fibres, which secrete acetylcholine as a neural transmitter.