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Int. J. Adv. Res. Biol. Sci. (2016). 3(2): 272-277

Review Article

SOI: http://s-o-i.org/ 1.15/ijarbs-2016-3-2-37 A Review on Babija. B, Chinnu Shaji*, Jessel Aleyas, Jiju.V, Santhosh. M. Mathews Nazareth College of Pharmacy, Othera, Thiruvalla, Kerala 689546, India *Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

Nootropics are class of cognitive enhancing supplement that improve concentration and boost memory. Nootropics are often used to increase spans, help individuals focus and as studying aids. Nootropics referred to as “smart “as they are associated with increased intelligence, , and mental energy. Nootropics are broadly any type of neuroenhancing with very low prevalence of side effects. medical research of memory deficits and age related memory loss has resulted in new explanations and treatment techniques to improve memory, including diet, exercise, stress management, psycnopharmacology, oxygen therapy ,mental exercise, cognitive therapy, and pharmaceutical . Neuroimaging as well as cognitive neuroscience have provided neurobiological evidence supporting holistic ways in which one can improve memory.

Keywords: psycnopharmacology, oxygen therapy, cognitive therapy, cognitive neuroscience, neuroimage.

Introduction

Nootropics - also called smart drug, memory led folks in the renovation of their memory as well as enhancers, neuro enhancers, cognitive enhancers, finding out ability or intellectual procedures. Specific and intelligence enhancers, motivational, and stress effects can include improvements to , management are drugs, supplements, nutraceuticals, motivation, or attention. The word was and functional foods that improve one or more aspects coined in 1972 by a Romanian psychologist and of mental function. Nootropics have actually been chemist, Corneliu E. Giurgea, from the Greek words found as one of the reliable supplements for the mind; νους nous, or "mind", and trepein meaning to bend or for that reason, its relevance has actually additionally turn.

272 Int. J. Adv. Res. Biol. Sci. (2016). 3(2): 272-277 There are only a few drugs that are known to improve Academic use some aspect of . Many more are in different stages of development. The most commonly used class In academia, nootropics have been used to increase of drug is , such as . productivity, despite their long-term effects lacking conclusive research in healthy individuals. The use of These drugs are purportedly used primarily to treat prescription stimulants is especially prevalent among cognitive or motor function difficulties attributable to students attending academically competitive disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's colleges. Surveys suggest that 0.7–4.5% of German disease, Huntington's disease, and ADHD. Some students have used cognitive enhancers in their researchers, however, report more widespread use lifetime. Stimulants such as dimethylamyl despite concern for further research. Nevertheless, amine and are used on college intense marketing may not correlate with efficacy. campuses and by younger groups. Based upon studies While scientific studies support the beneficial effects of self-reported illicit use, 5–35% of college of some compounds, manufacturer's marketing claims students use diverted ADHD stimulants, which are for dietary supplements are usually not formally tested primarily used for performance enhancement rather and verified by independent entities. than as recreational drugs.

Several factors positively and negatively influence the —compounds that are structurally related use of drugs to increase cognitive performance. to - have few serious adverse effects and Among them are personal characteristics, drug low , but there is little evidence that they characteristics, and characteristics of the social enhance cognition in individuals without cognitive context. impairments. While addiction to stimulants is sometimes identified as a cause for concern, a very Side effects large body of research on the therapeutic use of the "more addictive" psychostimulants indicate that The main concern with pharmaceutical addiction is fairly rare in therapeutic doses. On their drugs is adverse effects, and these concerns apply to safety profile, a from June 2015 cognitive-enhancing drugs as well. Long-term safety asserted, "Evidence indicates that at low, clinically data is typically unavailable for some types of relevant doses, psychostimulants are devoid of the nootropics (e.g., many non-pharmaceutical cognitive behavioral and neurochemical actions that define this enhancers, newly developed pharmaceuticals and class of drugs and instead act largely as cognitive pharmaceuticals with short-term therapeutic use). enhancers."

273 Int. J. Adv. Res. Biol. Sci. (2016). 3(2): 272-277 In the United States, unapproved drugs or dietary being sold. supplements do not require efficacy approval before Drugs

Stimulants

In 2015, systematic medical reviews and meta-  Methylphenidate – a substituted analyses of in humans established that improves cognitive consensus that certain stimulants, only when used at control (e.g., working memory, episodic low (therapeutic) concentrations, unambiguously memory, and ) in the general enhance cognition in the general population; in population. It also improves performance on particular, the classes of stimulants that demonstrate tedious tasks that require a high degree of cognition-enhancing effects in humans act as direct effort. At above optimal doses, or indirect agonists of dopamine receptor methylphenidate has off target effects that can D1, adrenoceptor A2, or both receptors in the prefrontal decrease learning by activating neurons not cortex. Relatively high doses of stimulants cause involved in the task at hand. cognitive deficits.  ( and ) – wakefulness promoting agents; modafinil  pharmaceuticals increases alertness, particularly in sleep (, , deprived individuals, and was noted to and [an inactive prodrug]) – facilitate reasoning and problem solving in a systematic reviews and meta-analyses report systematic review. They are clinically that amphetamine benefits a range of aspects prescribed for narcolepsy, shift work sleep of cognitive control (e.g., attentional disorder, and daytime sleepiness remaining control, inhibitory control, , after sleep apnea treatments. and working memory, among others) in the  Xanthines (most notably, caffeine) – shown to general population, and these effects are increase alertness, performance, and, in some especially notable in individuals with studies, memory. Children and adults who ADHD. A 2015 meta-analysis of high quality consume low doses of caffeine showed evidence found that therapeutic doses of increased alertness, yet a higher dose was amphetamine and methylphenidate improve needed to improve performance. A 2014 performance on working memory, episodic systematic review and meta-analysis found memory, and inhibitory control tests in normal that concurrent caffeine and L-theanine use [27] healthy adults. It also improves task has synergistic psychoactive effects that saliency(motivation to perform a task) and promote alertness, attention, and task performance on tedious tasks that require a switching; these effects are most pronounced high degree of effort. during the first hour post-dose.

274 Int. J. Adv. Res. Biol. Sci. (2016). 3(2): 272-277  – A meta-analysis of 41 double- positive effects on aspects of fine motor blind, placebo-controlled studies concluded abilities, alerting and orienting attention, and that nicotine or smoking had significant episodic and working memory.

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Miscellaneous attention tasks and improvement in performing difficult mental arithmetic tasks,  Phosphatidylserine (a phospholipid) as well as reduction in fatigue and with DHA and EPA (omega-3 fatty acids) – improvement in mood. two Cochrane Collaboration reviews on the  – Although some evidence is use of supplemental omega-3 fatty acids alone suggestive of cognition benefits, the study (without phosphatidylserine) for ADHD and quality is so poor that no conclusions can be learning disorders conclude that there is drawn from it. limited evidence of treatment benefits for  – Different reviews come to either disorder. different conclusions. A 2009 Cochrane  Tianeptine – enhances several metrics of review found not enough evidence to make cognition in animal models. It has also been conclusions in those with . Another shown to prevent stress-induced dendritic review stated "there is consistent evidence that remodeling in various brain structures, and chronic administration improves selective antagonizes 's neurodegenerative attention, some executive processes and long- effects. term memory for verbal and non-verbal  L-theanine – see the Xanthines entry above. material."  Valproate – a study has suggested that  Isoflavones – A double-blind, placebo- valproate may be able to enhance the controlled study showed improvement in cognitive ability of absolute pitch. spatial working memory after administration  Bacopamonnieri – A nutraceutical herb with of isoflavones. One RCT showed soy "neural tonic" and memory enhancing isoflavone supplementation improved properties shown in humans in a double- performance on 6 of 11 cognitive tests, blinded RCTs. including visual-spatial memory and  Panax ginseng – Multiple RCTs in healthy construction, verbal fluency and speeded volunteers have indicated increases in dexterity, but worse on two tests of executive accuracy of memory, speed in performing function. 275 Int. J. Adv. Res. Biol. Sci. (2016). 3(2): 272-277 Nutraceuticals

Racetams specific effects can include improvement to working memory. Some nootropics will result in an increase The racetams are structurally similar compounds of in production of brains cells while slowing down , , , and their destruction as well. , which are often marketed as cognitive enhancers and soldover-the-counter. Racetams are References often referred to as nootropics, but this property of the drug class is not well established. The racetams have 1. "Dorlands Medical Dictionary". Archived poorly understood mechanisms of action; however, from the original on January 30, 2008. piracetam and aniracetam are known to act as positive 2. Lanni C, Lenzken SC, Pascale A, et al. (March allosteric modulators of AMPA receptors and appear 2008). "Cognition enhancers between treating to modulate systems. and doping the mind". Pharmacol. Res. 57 (3): 196– Conclusion 213.doi:10.1016/j.phrs.2008.02.004. PMID 18 353672. Nootropics are generated to enhance our psychological 3. Gazzaniga, Michael S. (2006). The Ethical capabilities; however supplements are Brain: The Science of Our Moral Dilemmas additionally medically made to improve our social (P.S.). New York, N.Y: Harper Perennial. abilities. The significance of Nootropics has actually p. 184. ISBN 0-06-088473-8. led to a method to battle anxiousness as well as day- 4. Giurgea C (1972). "[ of to-day tension of a human’s life and also development. integrative activity of the brain. Attempt at Nootropics shows signs of neuro-preservation and nootropic concept in psychopharmacology] neuro-protection. These compounds directly affect the ("Versunepharmacologie de l'active level of neuro transmitters associated with slowing integrative du cerveau: Tentative du concept down the aging process. Nootropics have been used to nootrope en psychopharmacologie")". Actual increase the productivity, despite their long-term Pharmacol (Paris) (in French) 25: 115– effects lacking conclusive research in individuals. 56. PMID 4541214. Several factors positively and negatively influence the 5. "nootropic Translation". Retrieved October use of drugs to increase cognitive performance 6, 2014.

276 Int. J. Adv. Res. Biol. Sci. (2016). 3(2): 272-277 6. Sahakian B; Morein-Zamir S (December 456 (7223): 702–705. Bibcode: 2008 Natur. 2007). "Professor's little 456..702G. doi:10.1038/456702a. ISSN 1476- helper". Nature450 (7173): 1157– 4687.OCLC 01586310. PMID 19060880. 9. Bibcode:2007Natur.450.1157S. doi:10.1038 Retrieved March 25, 2014. (subscription /4501157a.PMID 18097378. required (help)). 7. Greely, Henry; Sahakian, Barbara; Harris, 8. "Smart Drugs and Should We Take John; Kessler, Ronald C.; Gazzaniga, Them?". Dolan DNA Learning Center. Michael; Campbell, Philip; Farah, Martha J. Retrieved November 4, 2012. (December 10, 2008). "Towards responsible 9. "Dietary Supplements: What You Need to use of cognitive-enhancing drugs by the Know". US Food and Drug Administration. healthy". Nature (Nature Publishing Group) Retrieved February 14, 2015.

How to cite this article: Babija. B, Chinnu Shaji, Jessel Aleyas, Jiju.V, Santhosh. M. Mathews. (2016). A Review on Nootropics. . Int. J. Adv. Res. Biol. Sci. 3(2): 272-277

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