Nootropics 4idiotZ: Introduction to Nootropics
Introduction
Humans are intrigued with the possibility of getting smarter. Besides the standard methods such as studying and hard work, humans have tried some unusual things in the pursuit of brain enhancement. Nikola Tesla, the great inventor, would supposedly squish his toes 100 times on each foot to stimulate the brain cells! Isaac Newton felt that celibacy helped him to utilise his brain more effectively. Then there is idea of popping a magic pill like Bradley Cooper's character does in the movie "Limitless".
Nootropics are a group of chemicals that are believed to heighten concentration, focus and memory without any detrimental side-effects.
They’re also known as “smart pills.”
Nootropics are compounds or supplements that improve a person’s cognitive abilities and brain function. Nootropics can have a crucial effect on your cognitive functions by boosting memory, concentration and focus, as well as improving a person’s ability to solve problems and think creatively.
Nootropic supplements can support brain health by reducing the cellular damage caused by everyday toxins (aka Free Radicals) and boost mental energy, helping you to complete in-depth tasks, or improve your mood and mental outlook.
Some of these drugs do seem to influence the chemistry of the brain, but some people feel there isn't enough research completed to indicate consistent, measurable effects. Also, some may believe that as Nootropics are still in the experimental stage, taking "smart pills" isn’t worth any potential health risks, while others happily testify to the benefits of taking nootropics.
Cognition
Cognition doesn’t just come from one part of the brain. It involves many regions, chemicals, and processes like memory, perception, attention, and arousal when you’re awake and alert. It has been ben shown in many studies that learning and memory formation in animals involve the neurotransmitter glutamate.
Glutamate
Glutamate is the main excitatory chemical in the brain. This means it triggers neurons to send signals to each other. Neuroscientists have studied glutamate systems in the brain and have worked to create drugs that enhance memory-related performance in animals like rats and mice. Much of this research is aimed towards understanding the biochemistry of memory with the hope to eventually helping treat patients with memory problems, like those with Alzheimer’s disease. While there’s a big difference between rodent brains and human ones, which means the data may not be reliable, the evidence we have managed to acquire through research is encouraging. Besides, there are many people around the world who take Nootropics who swear by the results.
This is the situation for lots of drugs that affect different parts of cognition. There are some stimulants that scientists have found to be safe and effective and doctors prescribe to treat ADHD. However, there’s still uncertainty about the wisdom of altering brain function, and there aren’t silver bullets that work for everyone with a given neurological disorder.
Despite this uncertainty, Nootropic proponents say that the wide variety of drugs available can be used to improve different aspects of your normal brain function. The hope is that at the very least Nootropics can help you to remember what you learned in class to get better grades or focus more at work.
History of Nootropics
Nootropics began in 1964 with a Romanian chemist named Corneliu Giurgea. He wanted to make a brain-enhancing drug and coined the term “nootropic” after synthesizing the first of its kind: piracetam.
Piracetam is a broad-acting drug — it interacts with a lot of different things in the brain, one of which is glutamate receptors, which we know play a role in learning and memory.
One of the earlier studies on Piracetam was done in 1976 where 8 students from University College in Cardiff were given a daily dose of piracetam and another 8 students - the control group - were given a pill that did nothing. They were all given memory tasks after 1 and 2 weeks. In the group that took piracetam, the research team didn’t see a difference in verbal memory after 1 week compared to the control group, but they did record a difference after 2 weeks. This indicates that there could be some mild positive effect, but more studies are required before we can confidently know how much the drug actually helps with improving learning and brain function.
Some research has also been performed to test whether piracetam could help fight memory loss from brain diseases, or help protect the brain from losing function after certain kinds of major surgery. Unfortunately, there’s been a mix of negative and positive results following years of studies, which means there isn’t enough evidence to definitely say that taking it helps.
That’s just the beginning when it comes to Nootropics. Since the introduction of piracetam, there have been dozens of drugs that people have taken to try and improve cognition.
Modafinil
Modafinil, is a "wakefulness agent" that is an FDA-approved treatment for narcolepsy, a sleep disorder where you can fall asleep without warning. In a similar manner to piracetam, researchers believe that modafinil could affect a lot of chemical systems in the brain — including transporters of dopamine, which is involved in alertness, and norepinephrine, which is involved in your stress responses and can give you an energy boost.
Some people have tried using it as a general nootropic instead of a specific medical treatment.
A meta-analysis published in 2015 in the journal European Neuropsychopharmacology collected 24 study results to discovery what the overall effect of the drug seems to be. They concluded that modafinil can help healthy people with executive function — things like planning and decision making — but the effects on things like attention span were mixed.
It’s conceivable that any positive relationship between taking Nootropics and cognition could be a placebo effect. That’s when a drug doesn’t really do anything, but your belief in it causes real change.
Most nootropics are currently being sold without FDA approval under categories like “dietary supplements” or “research chemicals,” because there haven’t been enough conclusive studies about them. There’s conflicting testimonies on the levels accountability for how Nootropics are made, for what constitutes appropriate dosages, and are they guaranteed to be safe and this needs consideration when you’re looking at ways to change brain chemistry. It is known that if the brain is flooded with too much glutamate the brain's signalling and neurons get overstimulated, which can lead to side effects such as cell death and seizures. However, there are many brands - including the brand of Nootropic this author uses called Neuro Elite - that have been thoroughly research by its developers and are made in the USA under the strictest conditions. They have been used for many years now with perfect safety and great results.
In addition to this, any kind of stimulant can be addictive and cause major withdrawal and depression if used inappropriately. While some nootropics are actually stimulants, many are not, and in fact the latest research and development has specifically led to the manufacture of nootropics that are not stimulants!
It must be noted that this author takes Nootropics and have found them to be totally safe, being made from vitamins, mineral and other natural compounds.
Conclusion
Nootropics are known to: – enhance memory and learning ability – help the brain function under disruptive conditions – protect the brain from harmful chemical damage – improve neuronal firing mechanisms – lack any sedative, stimulant or toxic side effects
If you'd like to learn more about nootropics such as Neuro Elite then please CLICK THIS LINK.
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