Rethinking study drugs: nootropics, the cognitive-enhancing compounds

As we go into the final stretch of the quarter, many of us are dying for an extra boost as we start to study for finals. It’s no secret that in recent years, American college students have been known to abuse prescription drugs like Adderall as “study drugs.”

Others, however, have turned to nootropics, defined as a “broad category of cognitive-enhancing supplements that include a range of compounds to improve memory, focus and mood,” according to the San Francisco Chronicle. These drugs are technically labelled as “research chemicals,” and are largely unregulated by the Food and Drug Administration in terms of efficacy and purity. You may also have seen 2011’s “Limitless,” which features a fictional nootropic drug named NZT-48 that can infinitely increase intellect and productivity.

I first heard of real-life nootropics via a Princeton student who founded a start-up revolving around his own blend of herbal supplements called Luminate. Around June 2014 in the week leading up to finals, posts appeared on UCLA’s Free & For Sale Facebook page advertising Luminate as a “natural focus supplement that works.” More than a year later, little has changed in terms of campus awareness of the niche market of nootropics, whose numerous producers primarily target those working in the tech and finance industries.

It’s not only students seeking to profit and expand the niche of this untested supplement market. Here on campus, psychology lecturer Dr. Andrew Hill – and my former Psych 10: “Introductory Psychology” instructor – acts as lead neuroscientist for truBrain, a Los Angeles-based start-up that prides itself on more rigorous research methodology and aspiring to a “gold standard” of research in terms of its nootropic blends. On his own company’s product, Dr. Hill explained, “(Most nootropics) are not stimulants like caffeine. Instead, compounds are combined into the blend to support focus and visual attention, verbal fluency and that sort of thing.”

When I spoke to Dr. Hill, he was careful in phrasing when describing their results of testing truBrain’s effect on performance, citing the “lean and mean” start-up model for the small sample sizes and less-than-optimal experimental design. These studies, he admitted, are flimsy in comparison to larger and more rigorous clinical tests.

That being said, the blends of truBrain, Luminate and many others like them are already out there on the market for consumption. For anyone considering trying out these supplements, here’s a quick low-down on the key ingredients common to most nootropic blends on the market, and the research behind them:

L-theanine

Found naturally in green tea, L-theanine mimics the functions of a certain amino acid. Although there are no statistically significant effects of L-theanine on cognition when administered alone, multiple reviews on PubMed cite its ability to increase reaction time and working memory and improve accuracy in task-switching. It has also been shown to reduce stress response. However, other reviews and studies contradict these findings, with some scientists saying that L-theanine can only have an impact when combined with caffeine.

CDP-choline

Also known as citicoline, CDP-choline is a molecule that, when ingested, converts to the nucleoside uridine, a compound similar to the material that comprises DNA, and essential nutrient choline. Although CDP-choline has been shown to have neurocognitive effects in older adults and schizophrenic patients, there are no current studies on its effects in young adults. Though many nootropic companies claim CDP-choline has neuroprotective and memory-enhancing effects, there is no published research regarding healthy adults on the matter.

Racetams (piracetam, oxiracetam, others)

Racetams are drugs that contain a pyrrolidone nucleus, which is essentially a fancy way of saying a nitrogen-containing ring with an oxygen bonded to it. In a study of coronary bypass patients, piracetam has been shown to improve short-term cognitive performance, and in treatment of patients with dementia has been shown to enhance vigilance and memory. However, research is limited on humans and healthy adults, i.e. those with no mental disorders, so the possible effects of enhanced memory are still untested.

L-tyrosine

Otherwise known simply as tyrosine, L-tyrosine is one of the 20 amino acids required for the body’s functions. Although shown to improve cognitive performance in small sample sizes like a study of cadets in combat training, there are currently no larger studies published in order to prove statistically significant improvement in cognitive performance.

Although initial research looks somewhat promising for some of these compounds, most of these compounds are not proven to be as effective of a nootropic as caffeine, a tried-and-true stimulant throughout history. Current research is limited, as most people in the field spend their efforts on investigating nootropics in people with cognitive deficiencies such as Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.

Unfortunately, we’ve yet to find a real-life NZT-48. Keep dreaming, Bruins.