The use of dimiracetam in the treatment of chronic pain chronic pain induced by osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis or autoimmune osteoarthrosis forms is disclosed. At doses higher than those previously disclosed in relation with its cognition enhancing activity (i.e. amelioration of learning and memory), dimiracetam was able to completely revert hyperalgesia or allodynia associated with several animal models of chronic pain. Dimiracetam showed high activity in painful conditions caused by osteoarthritis. In addition, dimiracetam was devoid of toxicity even at doses 10-fold higher than the highest therapeutic dose. The possibility of treating such debilitating pathologies with a highly effective and essentially non-toxic compound is therefore disclosed.
