Aniracetam

Aniracetam is an amino acid-like compound (sometimes called a smart drug or nootropic) that packs powerful, noticeable benefits.  Studies of compounds in its class have found that they:

• Sharpen memory and learning in healthy individuals
• Boost communication between the right and left sides of the brain, bringing intuition together with logic
• Optimize efficient use of oxygen and glucose in the brain
• Enhance what the brain does naturally instead of causing new/different effects
• Have been clinically proven to be more effective than a placebo

Here are some highlights from ‘Smart drugs & nutrients: How to improve your memory and increase your intelligence using the latest discoveries in neuroscience.'

Human studies have established that aniracetam is a powerful cognitive enhancer. Study participants improved their scores on a number of intelligence and memory tests (Saletu, 1980, 1984)

In animal experiments, aniracetam has been shown to have a protective effect on the brain. Also, one study of 60 geriatric patients in a nursing home found that aniracetam had a significant “revitalizing” effect (Foltyn, 1983)

Precautions: Aniracetam has been tested in too few human studies to establish precautions. Preliminary findings indicate that, like other nootropics, it has little or no toxicity and few or no side effects. 

Dosage: One study found that the maximum cognitive enhancing effects occurred at 1000mg of aniracetam per day. Use of other smart drugs and nutrients concurrently will probably greatly reduce the optimum dosage. 

Aniracetam MUST be taken with a fat source, since its fat soluble. A capsule of fish oil or any food containing fat (almonds, eggs w/yolk, avacado, bacon, salmon, whole milk, yogurt, etc.)

Aniracetam MUST be taken with a Choline source (eggs, butter, beef). Bioavailable Source of Choline.

Choline and aniracetam taken together produce a synergistic effect that causes a greater improvement in memory than the sum of each when taken alone. Combining Choline with aniracetam is said to have a 20-30 times greater effect than taking them alone.

Through research the combination of drugs that seem to work best together to enhance each other’s effects while also having the easiest to follow dosing schedule (1x/day in the AM) include:

Aniracetam 750mg + Choline 500mg + B-5 (Pantothenic Acid) 500mg

This is the protocol I will follow and experiment with to achieve the best results. 

Choline

Choline is the precursor of acetylcholine (a neurotransmitter that plays an important role in memory). Choline improves memory by increasing the amount of acetylcholine in the brain. 

Smart drugs recommends a dosage of 3 grams/day in divided dose. It is also found in egg yolk, butter and beef. I will only take 500mg choline in the morning as its effects will be heightened by the aniracetam and I get extra choline from egg yolk, grass fed butter and beef. I also want to make life easier by being able to take 1 dose in the morning.

Smart drugs also recommends taking choline with B-5 (1 gram/day) which helps the choline get converted into acetylcholine.

B-5 (Pantothenic Acid)

Powerful antioxidant and stamina enhancer. Essential for the formation of steroid hormones, making it particularly important for individuals under stress. B-5 is essential for the conversion of choline into acetylcholine. 

Precautions: Large dosages may at first cause diarrhea. This disappears with continued use.

Dosage: Most people start out at 100mg and work up to 250mg-1000mg/day in 3-4 divided doses with meals.  

Here’s what some users had to say:

“Makes music sound better, Body coordination is more fluid, Increased energy, Verbal Intelligence INCREASED!, I feel VERY chilled out. Memory and retention is better, Focus is better, CREATIVITY IS MUCH BETTER!

Side Effects: Suppressed Appetite, Hard to wind down at the end of the night

This stuff gives energy but not in a stimulant kind of way. Hard to explain. Just don't underestimate this stuff's power.”

“I have only found Aniracetam to make me sleepy, which is a common side-effect for some people as far as I can tell.” – May have this experience because they are not getting enough choline.

“ I can attest that aniracetam is a powerfully beneficial substance. I've been taking it for 3 months and can say that life feels simpler than it used to be, and tasks that i used to find tedious are now much more doable. It hasn't directly had much effect on my anxiety, but it's made my attention easier to control which has consequently allowed me to spend less time worrying and ruminating about the past”

“My artistic output has trebled since I began aniracetam.”

“Aniracetam - three to four days for noticeable effects.”

“Some people say they don't need extra choline, some swear they do. I say do whatever works for you. I take small 500mg doses when I take it and it always has an effect for me. Most of the time it's anxiolytic, enhances the thought process (makes it easier) and gives you mostly mental but also a bit of physical energy. My wife uses it sometimes too and has said it removed annoying brain fog that has bothered her for years on and off.”

It seems that people are getting brain fog if they are taking too much and they are getting headaches/fatigue if they are not taking enough choline. 

A search on nursing central revealed over 200 articles/studies on aniracetam.  Below are some of the ones that stuck out. 

The findings of one study indicate that aniracetam (a nootropic compound with glutamatergic activity and neuroprotective potential) is a promising option for patients with cognitive deficit of mild severity. It preserved all neuropsychological parameters for at least 12 months, and seemed to exert a favorable effect on emotional stability of demented patients. Dementia revealed significantly better cognitive performance at 6 months and improved functionality at 3 months. 

One systematic survey that evaluated the clinical outcomes as well as the scientific literature on Aniracetam like compounds found that recent studies demonstrated piracetams neuroprotective effect when used during coronary bypass surgery. It was also effective in the treatment of cognitive disorders of cerebrovascular and traumatic origins; however, its overall effect on lowering depression and anxiety was higher than improving memory.

Results of ‘Neurosci Bull 2006’ indicate H2O2 exposure impaired the viability of neurons, reduced mitochondria potential, and decreased LTP in the CA1 region of hippocampus. These deficient effects were significantly rescued by pre-treatment with aniracetam (10-100 mu mol/L). These results indicate that aniracetam has a strong neuroprotective effect against H2O2-induced toxicity, which could partly explain the mechanism of its clinical application in neurodegenerative diseases.

Administration of aniracetam for 10 days (post-natal days (PND) 18-27), at a dose of 50 mg/kg reversed cognitive deficits in both rat genders, indicated by a significant increase in the number of avoidances and the number of 'good learners'. After the termination of the nootropic treatment, a significant increase in both amplitude and frequency of AMPA receptor-mediated mEPSCs in hippocampal CA-1 pyramidal cells was observed. Significant anxiolytic effects on PND 40 also preceded acquisition improvements in the avoidance task. This study provides evidence for the therapeutic potential of aniracetam in reversing cognitive deficits associated with FASD through positive post-natal modulation of AMPA receptors. (Neuropsychopharmacology 2008; 33(5):1071-83)

The present findings suggest that aniracetam restores age- and Abeta-induced alterations in membrane fluidity or Abeta-induced increase in [Ca(2+)]i, demonstrating a possible beneficial role of aniracetam in the clinic treatment for senile dementia or Alzheimer's disease. (J Neural Transm 2007; 114(11):1407-11)

Aniracetam, a cognition enhancer, has been recently found to preferentially increase extracellular levels of dopamine (DA) and serotonin (5-HT) in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), basolateral amygdala and dorsal hippocampus of the mesocorticolimbic system in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats. Aniracetam enhances DA and 5-HT release by mainly mediating the action of N-anisoyl-GABA that targets not only somatodendritic nACh and NMDA receptors but also presynaptic nACh receptors. (Brain Res 2001 Oct 19; 916(1-2):211-21)