The effect of nootropic drugs on age-dependent changes in transmitter release. Drug Dev. Res. 14~293-295, 1988. Dopamine release from rat striatum slices shows marked age-dependent changes. In 9month-old animals the potassium-stimulated efflux is reduced by more than one-half compared with the maximum release seen at an age of 2-6 months. That means that the vesicle storage pool loses its functional maximum size at a relative early age. The mechanisms underlying these changes are complex and unclear as yet. Experimental data show interesting relationships between age-dependent and hypoxia-induced changes in cerebral neurotransmission. The posthypoxic changes in transmitter release are prevented by single high doses of nootropics and related drugs, and long-term treatment with lower, not protective doses leads to a marked acceleration of the restitution. Therefore, we studied the effect of a long-term treatment of aging rats with nootropics and related drugs. Piracetam meclofenoxate, or vinpocetine given to old rats in low doses twice a day for 3 weeks cause a significant diminution of the age-dependent lowering of dopamine release. This result leads to the assumption that nootropic drugs retard in part age-dependent Drocesses in the CNS.