If you suffer from mental lethargy or if you’re looking to increase your mind’s focus and motivation, you may have come across ‘nootropics’. But what are nootropics, exactly? James Dixon outlines everything you must know about what they do and how they work.
Nootropics, also known as smart drugs or cognitive enhancers, are supplements designed to improve cognitive functions such as memory, focus, creativity, motivation, mental wellbeing, and healthy aging.
And they’re certainly growing in popularity. With life becoming increasingly fast-paced with more and more distractions and information to digest, we are all looking for ways to perform mentally at our peak, and prevent decline.
As such, a greater amount of research is going into these incredible supplements, and the ingredients behind them.
But what exactly are nootropics? And what, exactly, can they do for you?
What Do Nootropics Do?
Nootropics are a pretty broad church. In fact, the term ‘nootropics’ encompasses a wide range of substances, including both natural and synthetic compounds.
These substances can be classified into several categories based on their mechanisms of action, though all will go some way towards bolstering cognitive health and function.
Some examples of popular nootropics include:
Racetams
Racetams are a class of nootropics that have gained popularity due to their potential cognitive-enhancing effects.
This category includes substances like piracetam, oxiracetam, and aniracetam, which are all thought to bolster memory and learning by modulating neurotransmitters in the brain and promoting neuronal communication.
Cholinergic nootropics
Cholinergic nootropics are compounds known to increase the levels of acetylcholine in the brain. Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter that plays a crucial role in various cognitive processes, including memory formation, attention, and learning.
So by increasing the availability of acetylcholine in the brain, cholinergic nootropics may enhance all these highly beneficial cognitive functions.
One of the most popular cholinergic nootropics is Alpha-GPC (alpha-glycerophosphocholine). Alpha-GPC has been shown to increase acetylcholine levels in the brain, showcasing improvements to cognitive performance.
One study found that Alpha-GPC supplementation resulted in improved memory and attention in healthy young adults. Another study found that Alpha-GPC reduced cognitive decline in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease.
Adaptogens
Adaptogens are natural substances with a centuries’ long history in various forms of traditional medicine practices. They are known for their ability to help the body adapt to stress and promote overall wellbeing.
Popular adaptogens include rhodiola rosea and ashwagandha, among others, which you will often see in leading commercial nootropics.
While adaptogens may not directly act on cognitive function, they can indirectly impact cognitive performance by reducing anxiety and improving mood.
Stress is known to have a significant impact on cognitive function, negatively affecting memory, attention, and decision-making abilities. By helping the body adapt to stress, adaptogens then aid optimal cognitive function.
Stimulant nootropics
Stimulant nootropics, which are a popular category of cognitive-enhancing substances, are known for their ability to increase alertness, focus, and energy levels. We are of course talking about things like caffeine, widely consumed in tea, coffee, and other common drinks.
It works by blocking the action of adenosine, a neurotransmitter that promotes sleep and relaxation, in the brain. With adenosine blocked, caffeine stimulates the release of other neurotransmitters, such as dopamine and norepinephrine, which create a state of wakefulness, clarity, and alertness.
Substances like caffeine work by stimulating the central nervous system and increasing neurotransmitter activity.
How Nootropics Work
There is no single way in which nootropics work – as above, it’s a broad church with plenty of different ingredients included, each with separate yet often overlapping (or at least complimentary) mechanisms of action.
However, we can say as a bit of a general rule that they commonly target specific neurotransmitters, receptors, or enzymes in the brain.
Some common ways in which nootropics work include:
Increasing the production/availability of neurotransmitters in the brain
Nootropics have the potential to enhance cognitive function by increasing the production or availability of neurotransmitters in the brain.
Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that play critical roles in various cognitive processes, including memory, attention, mood, and motivation. By optimizing the levels of neurotransmitters such as acetylcholine, serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, nootropics may improve cognitive performance.
As we’ve seen already, Acetylcholine is an essential neurotransmitter involved in learning, memory, and attention.
Nootropics like choline supplements or racetams have been found to increase acetylcholine synthesis or enhance its availability in the brain, which in turn can lead to improvements across memory formation, retention, recall, and cognitive flexibility.
Meanwhile, serotonin helps in regulating mood, sleep, and appetite. Some naturally derived nootropics like St. John’s Wort and 5-HTP are believed to boost serotonin levels in the brain.
This kind of boost to serotonin availability can lead to a more positive mood and and outlook with greatly diminished symptoms of depression and anxiety. This will all come together to represent great improvements across cognitive function.
Dopamine is involved in motivation, reward, and attention.
Some nootropics, like l-tyrosine or phenylalanine, are precursors to dopamine. They can therefore bolster its production in the brain. By optimizing dopamine levels, these substances may enhance motivation, focus, and productivity.
Norepinephrine regulates arousal, at