Smart pharmaceuticals run the gamut from memory and learning enhancers
to drugs used to slow down aging, to counteract certain disease
conditions that interfere with intelligence, or to generally stimulate
the central nervous systems. Classifying smart pharmaceuticals into
different categories is not straightforward, since there is overlap in
uses and in how they act on the brain, nervous system, and body to
achieve their purposes. Nootropics are pharmaceuticals that can enhance
learning and memory. A drug designed to slow down aging could, in the
process, improve memory and learning, but not be classified as a
nootropic which are specifically intended to act on the brain. Because
of this confusion, it is helpful to get an overview of the growing
number of smart drugs that are out there.
Nootrpics are pharmaceuticals that improve learning, memory, and recall
without other effects on the central nervous system. The term
nootropic comes from Greek roots meaning "acting on the mind."
According to Dean and Morgenthaler, nootropics were first described in
1972 by C. E. Giurgia in a French pharmacological journal.
Nootropics work by acting on the chemicals that carry impulses or
messages beetween brain cells. They promote production of the
allimportant neurotransmitters, such as acetylcholine, which
facilitates the transmission of messages from one neuron to another in
the brain. Nootropics can prevent the kind of mental deterioration that
comes with aging and is caused by declining production of
neurotransmitters.
Be cautioned about overdoses. The fact that nootropics stimulate
neurological transmittal doesn't mean that the more you take, the
faster the transmittal and the better you can think. As with many
drugs, there is an optimum point at which the effects peak and then
drop off. There is some evidence that you can overdoes if you take too
much. Should you take a nootropic, it's important to find out the
optimum dosage to get the most benefit. One nootropic may interact with
other pharmaceuticals and over-the countr medications as well as herbs
and nutrients. Combinations may reduce the amount of the nootropic or
other substances required for gaining the optimum desired effects.
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list of few known nootropics
