What Are Nootropics?

When addressing the question ‘what are nootropics?’ it is best to simplify the answer otherwise it can get quite complicated. Nootropics is an umbrella term for a class of chemicals, some naturally-occurring, some man-made, that provide cognitive benefits to the human brain.

To get truly technical, in order to be a nootropic, a compound needs to fulfill 5 requirements set by Dr. Corneliu E. Giurgea, the man who coined the term “nootropic.” The compound needs to …

1. Enhance memory and ability to discover.
2. Help the brain function under disruptive conditions, such as hypoxia (low oxygen) and electroconvulsive shock.
3. Protect the brain from chemical and physical attacks, such as anti-cholinergic drugs and barbiturates.
4. Increase the effectiveness of neuronal firing control mechanisms in cortical and sub-cortical areas of the brain.
5. Have very little to no side effects and be essentially non-toxic.

Although this may be the official definition of what a nootropic is, usually when you hear the term nootropic used, most people are really talking about a  “cognitive enhancer” – something that gives your thinking ability a boost in some way (enhanced memory, faster speed-of-processing, increased concentration, or a mix of these, etc.). “Smart drugs” is another interchangeable term. With this looser definition of nootropics, relatively innocuous everyday substances like caffeine and Omega-3’s as well as substances like Adderall are also sometimes included under the broad header ‘nootropics’.

When And Where Did Nootropics Come From?

While cognitive enhancement with numerous compounds has actually been recorded in Chinese and ayurvedic medication for centuries, the term nootropic was coined in 1972 by Dr Corneliu Giurgea.

Dr Giurega was a Romanian researcher responsible for the synthesis of piracetam, a man-made nootropic first synthesized in 1964 that stays possibly the most popular nootropic to this day. He obtained the term from the Greek words nous (mind) and trepein (to turn, to flex).

Although it was Dr Giurega who first introduced the term nootropic and who initially came up with the definition, there is a second way to categorize nootropics which was introduced by Dr Skondia.

His criteria was based on a nootropics metabolic technique more than Dr Giurega’s. Particularly:

1. The compound possesses no direct vasoactivity (vasodilation or vasoconstriction).
2. The compound should not alter fundamental EEG rhythm.
3. The substance needs to cross the blood brain barrier.
4. The substance needs to have metabolic activity in the human brain.
5. The compound must have little-no negative effects.
6. The compound should go through scientific trials which expose metabolic cerebral improvement.

Most likely the most significant distinction in between the scientists definitions is that Dr Giurega thought the compound ought to enhance learning and memory while Dr Skondia thought a compound needs to boost brain metabolism through glucose or oxygen update. The racetams (piracetam, pramiracetam, oxiracetam, aniracetam) would fit both Skondia’s and Giurega’s definitions as “real nootropics” but many commonly used “cognitive enhancers” wouldn’t. Hence technically we can say that nootropics are cognitive enhancers, while all cognitive enhancers aren’t strictly nootropics. Having said all this, as mentioned earlier, the term nootropic is used quite broadly these days and many people would include some cognitive enhancers as nootropic substances.

Some popular nootropics would include:

Racetams – Piracetam, Aniracetam ,Oxiracetam, Pramiracetam, Noopept. Racetam’s are a group of nootropics that first started with Piracetam’s discovery. Subsequent racetam derivatives are more potent on a gram for gram basis and carry subtle differences in effect.

Choline Supplements – GPC and CDP Choline are both bioavailable forms of Choline that nourish the brain and provide it with the raw materials for Acetylcholine and cell membrane synthesis.

Herbs – Vinpocetine, Ginkgo, Bacopa, Huperzine-A – Herbs which have been traditionally used for hundreds of years to strengthen the mind, reduce stress and support cognitive function.

Modified Vitamins and Nutrients – Both Sulbutiamine and Pyritinol are man made semi-synthetic forms of vitamins B1 and B6 respectively. Sulbutiamine plays a role in dopamine modulation in the brain, while Pyritinol raises Acetylcholine levels. Creatine, a common sports supplement also has cognitive enhancing qualities.

 

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