Pramiracetam is a name that often crops up in the nootropics sphere. But what exactly is it? Here we look at its benefits, how it works, and the important fine print.
Pramiracetam is a powerful synthetic racetam derivative known as a central nervous system stimulant and nootropic agent, primarily used for enhancing cognitive abilities, particularly memory improvement.
At least, that’s it in a nutshell. Here, I’ll explain why pramiracetam is important in the nootropics sphere, how it supports our cognitive functioning and health, plus the warnings that come with it.
What Is Piracetam?
Let’s get into the heart of the matter – what exactly Pramiracetam is. Why has it garnered so much attention in the world of nootropics?
Piracetam is a man-made substance, called a racetam, and was developed in the 1960s. It was originally used to treat motion sickness, before becoming the first drug to be labeled as a nootropic supplement – a supplement used to enhance memory, learning, and other cognitive functions.
By serendipity, it was also discovered to be an effective anticonvulsant in the 1980s.
Since then, we’ve discovered that piracetam can help with age-related conditions, memory, understanding and learning, and dyslexia.
Piracetam has also been investigated for the following conditions, though more studies are needed to determine if it is beneficial for any of them:
- Alcoholism
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Brain injury
- Breath-holding spells
- Deep vein thrombosis
- Dementia
- Dyslexia
- Fetal distress during labor
- Post-stroke
- Sickle cell disease
- Tardive dyskinesia
- Vertigo
How Does Pramiracetam Work In The Brain?
The inner workings of pramiracetam are fascinatingly complex. As a central nervous system stimulant, its main mechanism action revolves primarily around choline uptake, which in the long run influences the secretion of acetylcholine.
For those scratching their heads at the term ‘choline uptake’, let’s break it down.
Choline is an essential nutrient that our bodies use to produce acetylcholine – a neurotransmitter paramount to our nervous system, and plays direct roles in arousal, attention, memory, and motivation.
By stimulating choline uptake, pramiracetam significantly boosts the levels of acetylcholine in the brain.
This brings us to the second part of pramiracetam’s mechanism of action. The extra acetylcholine enhances activity in the hippocampus – the section of the brain playing a crucial role in memory storage and retrieval.
The thought process behind this is quite straightforward: increased activity in the hippocampus leads to better memory formation and long-term memory retention.
And this can be really helpful, especially as we get older and our brains change. As we age, our acetylcholine receptors and levels decline, which leads to reduced cerebral blood flow and nitric oxide levels – and all this leads to cognitive decline.
When this happens, we find it harder to make decisions, learn new things, stay focused, or even recall simple snippets of information.
By supplementing with nootropics like pramiracetam, which passes through the blood-brain barrier with ease, we can help our brain function optimally and prevent cognitive decline.
Is Pramiracetam Legal?
Pramiracetam is not illegal in the United States. If you are buying pramiracetam, choose one that has been tested by a third party to ensure its quality.
Pramiracetam Benefits
With some understanding of how Pramiracetam works, what does this mean in real terms, for us?
As we’ve seen so far, it can help with a number of