[extropy-chat] Recommendations for cognitive enhancement drugs?

[Ian Goddard]

Neil Halelamien quiried:

> Does anybody have any recommendations regarding
> drugs, nutritional supplements, and other methods 
> for cognitive/concentration enhancement? Have any 
> of you tried such items or know people who tried
> them? I'm particularly interested in how effective
> they are, their cost-effectiveness, and any side 
> effects.


While Natasha's sage advice defines the front-line
effort in the battle for cognitive maximization, [1]
there are additional resources worth considering. I've
found specific amino acids to be effective enhancers
of cognition and concentration, especially the amino
acids tyrosine and taurine. 

While I hate to pitch a product, there is a very
effective cognitive enhancer on the market called
5-Hour Energy that utilizes those amino acids. [2] I
tried it after several friends raved(!) about it and I
found it to be effective too. Red Bull is a popular
energy drink and 5HE is like a concentration of RB's
contents [3] with additional ingredients like
acetyl-l-tyrosine (a very stable form of tyrosine) and
the amino acid phenylalanine, which can improve mood.
Those aminos are precursors to neurotransmitters such
as dopamine and neuropinephrine which can improve
cognition. You can acquire those aminos for much less
than the per-dose cost of 5HE and RB. 

Another natural aid to cognition may be creatine,
which is a popular product for athletic performance:

Proc R Soc Lond B Biol Sci (2003): "Creatine
supplementation had a significant positive
effect (p < 0.0001) on both working memory (backward
digit span) and intelligence (Raven's Advanced
Progressive Matrices), both tasks that require speed
of processing."
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=14561278

Here are a few studies on Red Bull I found on
PubMed.com:

Amino Acids (2000): "The findings clearly indicate
that the mixture of three key ingredients of Red Bull
Energy Drink used in the study (caffeine, taurine,
glucuronolactone) have positive effects upon human
mental performance and mood."
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=11140366

Psychopharmacology (2001): "Moderate doses of caffeine
and taurine can improve information processing in
individuals who could not have been in caffeine
withdrawal."
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=11713623

Amino Acids (2001): "The effects of Red Bull Energy
Drink, which includes taurine, glucuronolactone, and
caffeine amongst the ingredients, were examined over 3
studies in a total of 36 volunteers. [...] Significant
improvements in mental performance included choice
reaction time, concentration (number cancellation) and
memory (immediate recall), which reflected increased
subjective alertness. These consistent and wide
ranging improvements in performance are interpreted as
reflecting the effects of the combination of
ingredients."
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=11665810

[1]
http://www.lucifer.com/pipermail/extropy-chat/2005-March/014136.html
[2] http://www.chaserenergy.com/About.asp
[3] http://www.redbull.com/extras/ingredients.jsp

Hope that helps!


http://IanGoddard.net


		
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