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| Ampakine |
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Review
Summary |
These days most people are looking for ways to keep their cognitive edge. People want to be able to perform like they did when we were in our twenties, and they want to be able to out perform their competition. There are puzzles, video games and gadgets available to help keep and ramp up brain fitness, but brain fitness is not always about exercise. It’s often about reduced levels of the vital nutrients that help our brains perform at optimal levels.
There are some really effective holistic extracts and elements like Phosphatidylserine and Alpha GPC, which are used to help naturally increase every level of cognitive function. But there’s also a whole generation of smart drugs beginning to appear on the market. These drugs are called Ampakines, which are also called nootropic’s. These new drugs have created a stir on the market, and many consumers want to know what they are, how they work and if they are effective. Let’s take a look to see what the answers are to these questions.
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| Element at a Glance |
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Ampakines are actually a set of compounds that all fall under this classification, and they are being studied as a way to augment a wide range of issues ranging from augmenting attention span and alertness to learning and memory. The reason they are called Ampakines is because they have a strong interaction with glutamatergic AMPA receptors, which has an effect on memory and brain health.
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| Element in Focus |
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Ampakine‘s are currently being developed by Cortex Pharmaceuticals, Inc, a Irvine, California based pharmaceutical company. The reason this potential smart drug is so interesting to pharmaceuticals is that they work directly on glutamatergic AMPA receptors, which is one of the most common kinds of excitatory receptors in the human brain. These chemicals are believed to be able to help the brain increase protein levels, so that memory and cognitive power is enhanced. In both primate and rodent based studies they have shown some good results in augmenting attention span and reducing hyperactivity in test subjects with ADD.
While many individuals and developers were excited about the effects that Ampakine had on animal test subjects, the FDA actually put a hold on its application, due to toxicology concerns raised in the initial animal trials, but this hold was subsequently taken off so Alzheimer's trials could begin. But concerns still remain regarding toxicity issues among some experts, so it will be interesting to see what the next series of trials reveal.
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| Lifestyle |
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Ampakine is presented as being a magic bullet for cognitive health, but to date this has not been shown to be the case. Yet, may consumers are waiting to see if Ampakines are able to deliver some results, but we also have to let you know that there are some very potent holistically based cognitive enhancers available on the market that have shown stellar results in research studies in terms of effectiveness and safety.
For instance, in over 22 different research studies Alpha GPC has been shown to be able to increase Choline, which is a precursor for acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that is a vital part of enhancing memory, learning and reason. In these studies individuals were found to have significantly higher levels of performance in key areas like memory, learning, focus and alertness. In fact, Alpha GPC is often referred to as a smart drug, even thought it is a holistic extract that is already found in the human body.
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| Positives |
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• May increase cognitive function
• Under clinical trials
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| Negatives |
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• Toxicity issues may be present
• May not be available for quite some time
• Ampakine may not be the magic bullet it is often claimed to be
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| Final Thoughts |
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Ampakine may hold some potential when the toxicity issues are resolved, but it may take some time to ascertain both safety and effectiveness of this new class of smart drugs. But this class of cognitive enhancers have created a huge stir on the market, and some consumers have started trying to acquire them through black market methods. Experts actually caution against doing so for a variety of reasons, most of which stem from issues around safety and effectiveness.
Ampakines may not, as of yet, be the answer to your cognitive issues, but there are actually elements and extracts available that are holistic equitant of smart drugs. As we noted above, Alpha GPC, which increases acetylcholine levels in the brain, has been shown to be able to help individuals increase every level of cognitive health, ranging form reasoning and learning to focus and memory. But we actually failed to let you know that this element also helped reverse memory damage in some users, which is a fairly remarkable result. Therefore, those interested in improving their cognitive function and memory may do well to look for a formula containing Alpha GPC.
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| Our
Editors Choice:
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Week
of: Tue Nov 17th, 2009 |
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Neurostin® -
Neurostin™ is a blend of non-prescription ingredients that were carefully formulated to reverse and prevent the depletion of the nutrients your brain needs to perform optimally. This is a very well received product that customers speak highly of. The unique formula of Neurostin™ provides your body with all the necessary building blocks to make choline which is the most vital component needed by the cells that comprise both short and long term memory. The formula has also been proven to produce both oxygen and blood flow to the brain which decrease and reverse the effects of deterioration. Neurostin is one of the few formulas that regulates the levels of homocysteine which is key in preventing both long term memory loss and Alzheimer’s. This is an awesome overall formula that enhances overall brain function, sharpness and clarity Click Here to read our full review. |
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