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Nootropic

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Nootropics, popularly referred to as "smart drugs," are substances which boost human cognitive abilities (the functions and capacities of the brain). The word nootropic is derived from the Greek words noos or mind and tropos, a bend. Typically, nootropics work by increasing the brain's supply of neurochemicals (neurotransmitters, enzymes, and hormones), by improving the brain's oxygen supply, or by stimulating nerve growth. With a few notable exceptions, nootropics have very low or no toxicity, making overdose unlikely. Most have few or no side effects, and many nootropics potentiate each other.

Most nootropics are nutrients or plant components (herbs, roots, beans, bark, etc.), available over the counter at health food and grocery stores, and are used as nutritional supplements. Some nootropics are drugs, used to treat retardation, neural degradation (Alzheimer's and Parkinson's), and for cases of oxygen deficit to prevent hypoxia. These drugs have a variety of human enhancement applications as well, are marketed heavily on the World Wide Web, and are used by many people in personal cognitive enhancement regimens.

With some nootropics the effects are subtle and gradual, such as with most nerve growth inducers, and may take weeks or even months before any cognitive improvement is noticed. At the other end of the spectrum are nootropics which have effects that are immediate, profound, and obvious.

Contents

General strategies

Neurotransmitter support - supplying the body with the precursors and cofactors it needs to produce neurotransmitters. Keeping the brain's neurotransmitters at high levels improves concentration, mental focus, calculation ability, memory encoding, recall, creativity, mood, and cures and prevents most depressions. The three main neurotransmitters are acetylcholine, dopamine, and serotonin.

Note that cardiovascular exercise performed on a regular basis also has nootropic effects, by increasing the body's capacity to supply brain cells with oxygen. Exercise is highly synergistic with nutritional supplementation, and a health regimen is incomplete without it.

Nootropic substances

Nootropic drugs are generally only available by prescription or through personal importation. The other nootropic substances listed below are either nutritional supplements or plant components, and are generally available over the counter at health food and grocery stores. The term "drug" here is used as a legal designation, and does not indicate greater efficacy. With nootropics, the effects, effectiveness, and potency differ from substance to substance and from individual to individual. See the substance descriptions below for more detail.

Replenishing and increasing neurotransmitters

Thinking is hard work. It involves the firing of neurons which requires plenty of neurotransmitters, and even though these are reuseable to some extent, they do get depleted. Depletion of neurotransmitters generally results in reduced mental performance, which may include difficulty concentrating, slowed reasoning, decreased learning efficiency, impaired recall, reduced coordination, lowered moods, inability to cope, increased response times, and mental fatigue. This also generally increases the likelihood of human error on tasks and activities performed. Stress causes neurotransmitters to be depleted even faster. The brain's neurotransmitters need to be replenished frequently, made by the body from substances ingested in the diet. Maintaining neurochemicals at optimal levels has a corresponding affect on brain performance, supporting improved mental agility and stamina, even beyond the individual's normal limits.

As the brain ages, its ability to produce and maintain youthful levels of neurotransmitters declines. Providing the brain with ample raw materials to make the neurotransmitters it needs can restore them to more youthful levels to help maintain cognitive function at vigorous youthful levels as well.

Cholinergics

Cholinergics are substances which affect the neurotransmitter acetylcholine or the components of the nervous system which utilize acetylcholine. Cholinergic nootropics include acetylcholine precursors and cofactors, and acetylcholinesterase inhibitors:

CAUTION: Excess acetylcholine can be potentially harmful; see cholinesterase inhibitor.

Dopaminergics

Dopaminergics are substances which affect the neurotransmitter dopamine or the components of the nervous system which utilize dopamine. Dopamine is produced in the synthesis of all catecholamine neurotransmitters, and is the rate limiting step for this synthesis. Dopaminergic nootropics include dopamine precursors and cofactors, and dopamine reuptake inhibitors:

Serotonergics

Serotonergics are substances which affect the neurotransmitter serotonin or the components of the nervous system which utilize serotonin. Serotonergic nootropics include serotonin precursors and cofactors, and serotonin reuptake inhibitors:

*Griffonia simplicifolia a natural pours of 5-HTP (a alternative in countries where 5-HTP not legal, freely available.)
  • Theanine - Amino acid. Found in tea. Increases GABA and dopamine levels in the brain. Increases alpha-wave based alert relaxation.
  • Tryptophan (requires Vitamin B6 and Vitamin C) - Essential amino acid. Precursor to serotonin, found in high concentration in bananas and poultry (especially turkey), also in milk, promotes relaxed poise and sound sleep.

    • Anti-depression, adaptogenic and mood stabilization

    Depression and depressed mood negatively affect cognitive performance. Feelings of sadness, guilt, helplessness, hopelessness, anxiety, and fear caused by depression detract from productive thought, while apathy (which is also induced by depression) is the lack of motivation and driving moods (like curiosity, interest, determination, etc.) Other symptoms include disturbed sleep patterns, mental fatigue and loss of energy, trouble concentrating or making decisions, and a generalized slowing and obtunding of cognition, including memory. Obviously, removing these effects improves intelligence and mental performance, and therefore, counteracting and preventing depression are effective nootropic strategies. There is a high correlation between depression and a reduction or depletion of neurotransmitters (dopamine, acetylcholine, and serotonin) in the brain, therefore it is no surprise that increasing the brain's supply of neurotransmitters alleviates (or at least reduces the symptoms of) most depressions. Stress is another major factor in neurotransmitter depletion, being both a cause and effect of it (creating a vicious downward cycle), therefore stress management and anti-stress substances are also very useful nootropic strategies.

    All of the "nergics" listed above have been found to increase stress tolerance and alleviate depression (by replenishing or increasing the brain's supply of specific neurotransmitters), especially when used in precursor/co-factor combinations.

    Here are some more nootropics which affect mood and stress:

    Brain energy and improved oxygen supply

    Mental agility, concentration, stamina, and focus

    Creativity boosting and idea stimulation

    All nootropics boost creativity to some degree. Nootropics of special note for their affect on creativity include:

    Memory enhancement and learning improvement

    All of the "nergics" listed above improve memory (encoding and recall). So do all nootropics which improve general brain performance such as the brain energy and oxygen suppliers listed above, and the nerve growth stimulants and protectants listed in their own section below. Other nootropics with specific effects on memory encoding and recall include:

    Nerve growth stimulation and brain cell protection

    Sleep enhancement or reduction

    Recreational drugs with purported nootropic effects

    See also Controlled substances act and Misuse of Drugs Act 1971

    Other nootropics

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    Related pages

    Brain and neurology

  • Action potential
  • Aging and memory
  • Brain
  • Central nervous system (CNS)
  • Dendrite
  • Human brain
  • Long-term potentiation
  • Nervous system

  • Neurite
  • Neuron
  • Neuroplasticity
  • Neuroscience
  • Neurotransmitter
  • Sensory neuroscience
  • Synapse
  • Synaptic plasticity

    • Thought and thinking (what nootropics are used for)

  • Abstract thinking
  • Attention
  • Attitude
  • Brainstorming
  • Cognition
  • Cognitive science
  • Creative thinking
  • Critical thinking
  • Curiosity
  • Decision
  • Decision making
  • Eidetic memory
  • Emotions and feelings
  • Emotional intelligence
  • Goals and goal setting
  • Idea
  • Imagination
  • Intelligence
  • Introspection

  • Lateral thinking
  • Learning
  • Memory
  • Memory-prediction framework
  • Mental calculation
  • Mind's eye
  • Mindset
  • Mood
  • Motivation
  • Perception
  • Personality
  • Picture thinking
  • Problem shaping
  • Problem solving
  • Reason
  • Recollection (recall)
  • Self-reflection
  • Thought
  • Visual thinking

    • Health

  • Anxiety
  • Cognitive psychology
  • Confusion
  • Depression
  • Drug
  • * Parasympathomimetics
  • * Prescription drug
  • * Prohibition (drugs)
  • * Psychoactive drug (aka psychotropic drug)
  • * Psychedelic drug

  • Human enhancement
  • * Ergogenic aid
  • Life extension
  • Neurodegenerative disease
  • * Alzheimer's disease
  • * Parkinson's disease
  • Nutrition
  • Sleep disorders
  • Stress
  • Stress management

    • External links

    Books

     

    From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
    All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.

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