Gentlemen.
If, like me, you’re a man who getting on a bit in years, and you find that you just
don’t have as good a memory as you once had, your is motivation slipping and your
focus fading, and you’ve decided to do something about by exploring nootropics, then you’ll
want to watch this video.
This is Lance, and I’d like to welcome back to my second video on nootropics.
As many of you know, I created this channel as a way to record what I’ve learned, the
plans I’ve made and the results I’ve obtained, all in the quest to turn back the clock.
And turning back the clock on cognitive decline is very near the top of my list.
So I decided to create this 3-part series on nootropics.
In the first video in this series, I talked about how the brain functions and introduced
the subject of nootropics, gave a bit of history and listed some of the benefits of taking
nootropics.
If you missed that video, I put a link to it in the description below, as well as a
link to the final video in this series, in which I discuss how to take nootropics and
the benefits that I’ve achieved from them.
In this video, I’m going to start off by examining some of the different types of neurotransmitters,
the role that they play in cognitive function and the effects that various nootropics have
on the various neurotransmitters.
Then I’ll get into a discussion of the various classes of nootropics and list the benefits
associated with each.
There are a lot of different types of nootropics, and they can affect of lot of different aspects
of cognitive function.
And it can be a bit daunting trying to figure out which ones are best for you.
In this video, I’m going to briefly touch on most of them, but I’m not going to go
into a whole lot of detail, in the interests of keeping this video short.
I’ll be putting up videos in the future where I go into more detail with regard to
specific nootropics.
By the way, this is my no means a comprehensive list.
One website that I frequent lists 88 different compounds as nootropics.
But before I begin, I’d like to talk for a moment about some of the different neurotransmitters,
and the roles that they play in mental function.
The first of these is serotonin.
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter which is derived from the amino acid tryptophan.
It’s usually considered to be a mood enhancer and is popularly associated with feelings
of happiness and well-being.
But it can also modulate cognition, reward, learning, and memory.
Next is dopamine.
Dopamine is derived from it’s precursor chemical, L-DOPA, which is synthesized in
the brain and in the kidneys.
In popular culture, dopamine is considered to be the pleasure neurotransmitter, but it’s
can also affect reward-motivated behavior and motivation, the fine tuning of motor function
and compulsions.
Next, GABA, or gamma aminobutyric acid.
This is a neurotransmitter produced by glutamate in the brain.
GABA is considered an inhibitory neurotransmitter because it prevents other neurotransmitters
from being released, causing a calming or anti-anxiety effect.
And finally, we come to acetylcholine, which is a neurotransmitter critical for encoding
new memories, reasoning, concentration, cognition, and the growth of new synapses, which is also
known a neuroplasticity.
Now, acetylcholine can’t cross the blood-brain barrier, so it must be synthesized within
the brain.
Some nootropics, upon crossing the blood-brain barrier and entering the brain, separate into
compounds that can produce more acetylcholine and others that increase the uptake of acetylcholine
into the brain.
Additionally, I want to mention brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF.
BDNF is a protein that helps to support the survival of existing neurons and encourages
the growth and differentiation of new neurons and new synapses.
So, let start our discussion of the types of nootropics with caffeine, the most widely
used psychoactive drug in the world, and considered a nootropic because when used in moderation
it helps improve reaction time, alertness, memory, concentration, mood and it can boost
athletic performance by reducing physical and mental fatigue.
Caffeine boost neurotransmitters by influencing acetylcholine, epinephrine (adrenaline), serotonin
and it boosts the use of dopamine.
It’s also a neuroprotectant, boosting gene expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor,
or BDNF.
And caffeine can improve mood because it increases the density of GABA receptors, increases the
effects of dopamine and causes some serotonin receptors to be more responsive.
Next, are the racetams.
So, in 1964 the Romanian chemist, Dr. Corneliu Giurgea developed a compound that he named
Piracetam, and he coined the term “nootropic” to describe it.
Priracetam was the first of the racetams, and racetams work by boosting acetylcholine
receptors in the brain into accepting or being more sensitive to acetylcholine.
In addition to piracetams, other racetams include oxiracetam and aniracetam.
Next is creatine.
Creatine is produced in the liver and acts as fuel for your cells…including brain cells.
After crossing the blood-brain barrier, it binds to phosphate.
Creatine phosphate fuels energy consumption by the brain, and it’s popular because of
the high fuel demands by the brain cells when using racetams.
So creatine is useful as both muscle fuel and mental performance and helps boost memory,
reducing brain fatigue, improving mood, and is anti-aging and a neuroprotectant.
Next is Noopept, which is a peptide-derived nootropic that is similar to the racetams.
it’s 1000 times more potent than piracetam.
Now, this doesn't mean that it's effect is 1,000 times more powerful, but rather,
that it only takes 1/1000th as much to get the same affect.
And since, like most nootropics, the affect has an upper limit, taking more won't have any additional effect,
but it could impact your tolerance and dependency of the drug.
Noopept seems to stimulate dopamine, nicotinic and serotonin receptors.
It has also been show to increase brain-derived growth factor.
OK, next on our list are the eugeroics.
There include modafinil, armodafinil, and the discontinued adrafinil.
Eugeroics are a class of drugs that promote wakefulness and alertness.
Eugeroics such as modafinil enhance dopamine release, but it’s not really known at this
time how they work.
They can improve focus, motivation, clarity and memory, but because they are metabolized
in the liver, they are not recommended for people with liver disease.
OK, now I’m going to talk about acetylcholine, or ACh.
As I mentioned earlier, Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter, not a nootropic, that is vital to a whole
slew of brain functions, but acetylcholine cannot cross the blood-brain barrier and must
be synthesized within the brain.
Choline is a precursor to ACh, and CDP-choline, or citicoline is a highly bioavailable source
of choline that easily crosses the blood-brain barrier.
CDP-choline is an effective nootropic on it’s own, but it also works synergistically to
boost the effects of other nootropics, particularly the racetams.
Now, GABA is another neurotransmitter that cannot cross the blood-brain barrier.
Phenibut , which is a nootropic, is an analogue of GABA, and the addition of a phenyl ring
allows phenibut to cross the blood-brain barrier.
So neurohackers prefer phenibut when the goal is to raise GABA levels in the brain.
Phenibut has strong anti-anxiety qualities, and it can be used to combat depression, improve
mood, cognitive function and motivation.
L-Theanine is another nootropic which is an amino acid that naturally occurs in green tea and oolong tea,
and like GABA it's an anxiolytic, which means that it’s useful in reducing anxiety.
Since it’s an amino acid, it easily crosses the blood-brain barrier and works quickly
to increase dopamine and serotonin levels.
It’s often “stacked” with caffeine to promote cognition, motivation and attention,
and it can reduce caffeine jitters.
Next, I’m going to talk about herbal supplements.
These include rhodiola rosea, panax ginseng, ginkgo biloba and others.
Most of these herbal supplements are recommended for a variety of other effect beyonds just
nootropics, but they also have nootropic effects.
In my experience, whatever nootropic effects they might have are so subtle as to be unperceptable.
Since many of the herbal supplements are recommended for other applications, such as increasing
testosterone, I occasionally take them, but they’re not really a staple for me.
Now, there are also a number of proprietary blends on the market, such as Qualia, Alpha
Brain, Neuromaster, Ketoprime and countless others.
And to be honest, I’ve never tried any of them, so I can’t recommend any of them.
I’m sure a lot of them are great…but I also suspect that a lot of them are produced
by companies just trying to jump on the nootropic bandwagon and don’t contain enough active
ingredients to be of much use.
If you use any of these products and have had great results, tell me about them in the
comments below.
Finally, there are a few types of nootropics that I don’t really recommend.
Things like Adderall, which is an amphetamine, ritalin, which is an ADHD stimulant, and nicotine.
While all of these can produce a nootropic effect, they can also have harmful side effects,
and be habit-forming or addictive, and most, if not all, of their nootropic effects can
be duplicated by other nootropics which have no side effects.
So, there you have it…the beginning of an understanding into the various types of nootropics.
As you can see, there are a lot of them.
And as I mentioned earlier, this is by no means a comprehensive list.
There are a lot more chemical compounds out there that can be considered a nootropic.
In the next, and final, video in this series, I’ll be talking about how to take nootropics,
cover subjects such as dosage, frequency, cycling, and stacking.
I’ll discuss the results that I’ve achieved from taking nootropics.
If you enjoyed this video, then please subscribe to my channel, share it with your friends
and on your social media, hit the like button and leave a comment.
And be sure to hit the bell button to be notified when I post a new video, which should be every
Tuesday, with bonus videos on the occasional Friday.
And as always, thanks for watching.
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