What is Piracetam?
Piracetam belongs to a group of medicines that was discovered in Belgium in the 1960s. This group, called the racetams, were the first nootropics to be developed. The word 'nootropic' comes from 'Nootropil', the brand name with which Piracetam first came on the market. Now it is used as an umbrella term for agents that improve cognitive functions. But despite the existence of countless nootropics, few manage to overthrow Piracetam. Also, Piracetam works by promoting the consumption of glucose and oxygen in the brain, providing the brain cells with more energy.
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Piracetam is the prototype for racetam nutritional supplements, which are a group of artificial supplements meant to provide a cognitive boost.
Piracetam has a history of being used to deal with cognitive impairment. According to a meta-analysis on individual research, piracetam improves general cognition when supplemented by men and women in a state of cognitive decline, like the kind that comes with aging. Though the piracetam tablet may be a beneficial supplement for improving longevity, it offers limited benefits for healthy men and women.
Healthy people supplementing piracetam do encounter little to no cognitive benefit. Though piracetam supplementation in healthy people is understudied, preliminary evidence indicates that piracetam is the most effective for older people. Piracetam supplementation has also been proven to decrease the chances of a breath-holding spell in kids.
Piracetam enriches cell membrane fluidity. This mechanism explains why piracetam can boost cognition, especially in older people.
How does Piracetam work?
Though Piracetam's exact mechanisms of action aren't fully understood, it is widely believed to function by increasing cerebral blood circulation and by performing on different crucial neurotransmitters.
Piracetam tablet is widely known to boost cerebral blood flow and act on several vital neurotransmitters. It is assumed to the increase blood flow by encouraging the development of Red Blood Cells (RBCs) and at the same time reducing their propensity to bind to cell walls. Some functions of Piracetam:
• Enhanced Cerebral Circulation
Improving blood flow within the brain itself is one of the critical means by which Piracetam tablet is believed to boost memory, verbal fluency, concentration, and other cognitive factors. Cognition depends on proper cerebral circulation, which provides the oxygen and essential nutrients that brain cells need to function effectively.
In-depth studies indicate that Piracetam tablet enhances brain neurons' permeability, promoting the entry of nutrients and the removal of waste. Piracetam tabletalso has a reputation of having a beneficial effect on the brain's metabolism, allowing oxygen and nutrients to be utilised more efficiently and effectively by brain cells. In essence, this generates greater demand, which may play a role in causing increased cerebral circulation.
Regulates the Activity and Production of Neurotransmitters
Piracetam tablet tends to have many modes of action within the brain linked to neurotransmitters, all of which function together to improve cognition.
• Boosts Activity of Acetylcholine
One of the essential neurotransmitters is acetylcholine, which plays a primary role in learning, memory, attention, and all aspects of cognition. In older rodent brains, Piracetam has been proven to boost acetylcholine receptors' density, which might also explain its positive memory effects. It can also upregulate acetylcholine development.
Although these activities can boost memory, they can rapidly deplete choline storage in the brain, which is key to developing the neurotransmitter. This is why anyone taking Piracetam is also suggested to take choline as a complimentary supplement.
• Regulates Receptors for Glutamate
It is also suspected that Piracetam modulates the brain's glutamate receptors, an excitatory neurotransmitter that is involved in 90% of all synaptic interactions. For synaptic plasticity, which is synapses' capacity to strengthen or weaken over time, glutamate is incredibly vital. Synaptic plasticity is vital for cognitive abilities such as learning and memory, and Piracetam can dramatically boost memory and learning capacity by increasing glutamate receptor sensitivity.
What are the effects of Piracetam?
Piracetam provides an increase in fuel for the brain cells. This leads to a general improvement of mental functions. The benefits of Piracetam include significant improvements in memory, increased alertness and better learning performance. In addition, it counteracts the death of brain cells. It protects the brain from mental deterioration from old age and protects against brain damage caused by alcohol abuse. With these benefits, Piracetam makes a huge contribution to the treatment of brain conditions such as Alzheimer's disease. It also contributes to the rehabilitation of brain damage from physical trauma or brain haemorrhage.
Piracetam's extensive collection of recognized advantages and favorable effects make it among the very famous and widely-used nootropics. The comprehensive list of proven potential advantages and beneficial effects of Piracetam makes it one of the most popular and widely used nootropics.
• Enhanced Cognition
Piracetam was introduced as a cognitive enhancer and is undoubtedly best known and most commonly used for that purpose. Both clinical trials and anecdotal evidence [4] indicate that Piracetam is an efficient brain booster, particularly in memory, attention, and psychomotor speed,. Studies indicate that while piracetam effects on cognition can be assessed in all ages, they are most important in older adult populations that experience organic cognitive loss usually associated with normal ageing.
By enhancing blood flow inside the brain and boosting essential brain chemicals' development and function, Piracetam improves synaptic plasticity (the formation and maintenance of new connections between neurons), crucial to learning. Users report that, when taken in combination with choline, Piracetam can boost energy, improve concentration, and improve verbal fluency and creativity.
Researches encourage these self-reports, demonstrating that in healthy students and students who have dyslexia, Piracetam significantly increases verbal comprehension.
• Improved Memory
Especially when taken with choline, Piracetam has been known to act as a powerful memory enhancer.
Most of the memory gain of Piracetam can be because it increases blood flow to and inside the brain and improves cell membrane fluidity in the case of elderly subjects, both animals and humans. However, it has been shown that Piracetam boosts your memory in subjects of all ages, including children undergoing general anaesthetic [9] and healthy young adults.
• Fights Depression
Researchers believe that Piracetam is able to eliminate the signs of depression, including decreased balance, stress, and anxiety that can otherwise make an individual’s life a living mess.
In patients with various psychotic disorders, it also proved to be a valuable adjunct treatment for drug-resistant depression, offering rapid and meaningful clinical progress.
• Neuroprotective Properties
Piracetam has definitively displayed strong neuroprotective properties, effectively shielding the brain from cognitive loss associated with age.
In stroke patients and the treatment of cognitive disabilities caused by cerebrovascular complications or injuries, Piracetam has also been a neuroprotectant.
• Properties of Anticonvulsants
The well-documented anticonvulsant effects of Piracetam make it a beneficial supplementary medication in the treatment of epilepsy and other seizure disorders.
• Treats Multiple Disorders
Researches on Piracetam demonstrate that it is beneficial and thriving in treating many physical and mental disorders. It can treat schizophrenia, alcoholism, neuroinflammation, and cognitive impairment associated with age.
Is It safe?
Piracetam is non-toxic and non-addictive. Daily use does not lead to an accumulation of toxic waste. The drug can therefore be used for the short term, but also for the long term, for example to combat mental deterioration in the elderly. The safety of the drug is associated with few side effects. Any side effects can usually be overcome by reducing the dose. With a low concentration of choline in the body, headaches can be experienced with use. Therefore, Piracetam tablet is often complemented by choline products such as Alpha GPC and CDP Choline.