I’ve been experimenting with nootropics for the past 1.5 years in search of compounds to improve my focus and reduce my tendency to procrastinate

Up to this point, I’ve found a few that do just that, and they have exceeded my expectations

Here’s my top 8

Thread🧵 Focus refers to the ability to maintain sustained attention at a specific task on hand

Attention is the key word there, because in order to positively affect our focus we are going to need to manipulate the neurochemical systems that influence attentional performance

8 Supplements that Instantly Crush Anxiety

Thread🧵 Anxiety can be a natural, normal response to perceived threats or stressful events

Although, issues arise when it becomes excessive, irrational, or persistent, impacting our day to day functioning and making it harder to sleep/relax, etc

Just 24 hours of peripheral inflammation is enough to induce anxiety & depression

Injection of LPS into the abdomen was able to trigger inflammation and microglial activation in the brain of mice, resulting in significant changes of neurotransmission in the amygdala, a key brain area implicated in anxiety and depression

Continued... Just 24 hours after injection of the inflammation inducing LPS, mice already exhibited significant anxiety and depression-like behaviors in the following assays:
- open field
- elevated plus
- sucrose preference
- tail suspension
- forced swim test

Continued...

GABA is the molecule in the brain that's responsible for keeping us calm, focused, and free of seizures

It is undeniably one of the most important neurotransmitters, yet most don't know what it is or how it works

Let's change that

Thread🧵 Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain

In layman's terms, its actions prevent neurons from firing, lowering activity in the brain

However, it goes deeper than just that...

We all know that neurotransmitters are important for brain function

But do you know how these molecules actually allow brain cells to communicate with each other?

If not, read this, because it’s one of the most fascinating biological phenomena out there

Quick Thread🧵 Neurotransmitters are just really small molecules, most of which are synthesized from amino acids

Neurons (brain cells) create, store, and release neurotransmitters as a means of communicating with other neurons

“The dose makes the poison”

A basic principle in toxicology that refers to the fact that all chemicals can be toxic, it just depends on the dose

The neurotransmitter glutamate is no exception to this rule, acting as a neurotoxin that kills brain cells in some cases

This is highly dependent upon several factors, but is still involved in brain damage that can come with stroke, TBI, benzodiazepine withdrawal, alcohol withdrawal, seizures, and more

But how can the primary neurotransmitter in the brain, the one responsible for almost all of cognition, be toxic?

It has to do with a single receptor type, the NDMAR

NMDARs are glutamate receptors with the unique ability to allow calcium ions into neurons

Under normal conditions, this calcium acts as a signaling molecule implicated in learning and neuroplasticity

But overstimulation of NMDARs due to elevated levels of glutamate results in a calcium excess in neurons, which triggers cell death in a process known as excitotoxicity

This explains why supplements that antagonize glutamate activity, like L-Theanine and magnesium, and agonize GABA, like taurine, are considered neuroprotective

They alter the balance of glutamate and GABA, to decrease glutamate activity and the neuronal firing that’s causing a glutamate excess This is an extreme example. After all, most people aren’t walking around having seizures

However, an imbalance of glutamate and GABA caused by too much glutamate can lead to anxiety, depression, headaches, the inability to concentrate, and more. Which is why people find relief in utilizing supplements as simple as magnesium and theanine. You’re shifting these two neurotransmitters back into balance

The best way to get high quality sleep longterm is to fix your sleep hygiene

Here's 8 ways to do so

(Bookmark this for later)

Sleep Hygiene Thread🧵 Sleep hygiene broadly refers to your habits and behaviors that can impact sleep

This will influence not only how easily you fall asleep every night, but also the quality and quantity of your sleep

Sure, high Dopamine is great...

But have you tried Acetylcholine maxxing?

It's even better

How can you support high baseline acetylcholine activity and even push it to supraphysiological levels?

Keep Reading (Thread🧵) Disclaimer: This thread is for educational purposes only and as such does not contain any medical advice. Always do your own research and consult your doctor before starting any new supplement protocol

The 7 Best Supplements for Sleep

THREAD🧵 Disclaimer: Nothing in this thread is medical advice. I'm not a doctor, let alone your doctor.

Always do your own research

Simple yet Effective Neuroprotection Stack:

- Huperzine A (AchEI & NMDAR antagonism)
- Magnesium (NMDAR blockade)
- Taurine (GABA/Glycine agonism & Ca2+ regulator)
- Agmatine Sulfate (NMDAR antagonism & nNOS inhibition)
- L-Theanine (AMPA antagonism & glutamine uptake inhibition)

Cholinergic activity itself is neuroprotective, which is why other AchEIs (Donepezil & Galantamine) are used to treat Alzheimers.

Because of that, any cholinergic nootropic or herb (nicotine, bacopa, etc) can replace Huperzine, although its NMDA antagonism is a nice benefit.

Otherwise, the rest of this stack works to decrease glutamate signaling or increase GABA signaling which protects against glutamate induced excitotoxicity directly. AchEI = Acetylcholinesterase inhibitor; reduces breakdown of acetylcholine in the synapse, enhancing cholinergic signaling

nNOS = neuronal nitric oxide synthase; makes NO which functions as a retrograde messenger in a positive feedback loop to enhance neurotransmitter release

I didn’t always sleep well

In fact, as little as 2 years ago I struggled to get to sleep every night

My mind would race for hours in bed and I’d struggle to ever get a full 8 hours

Here’s how I changed that to put up sleep metrics like this every night

THREAD🧵 Okay, maybe that's not my every night

But this one is a fair representation of my average nights sleep

Suffice to say that I sleep pretty well, logging large amounts of Deep and REM sleep (restorative sleep) and falling asleep relatively quickly once in bed

Good forms of Magnesium:
- Chloride
- Glycinate
- Taurate
- Malate
- Threonate
- Citrate (as laxative)

Bad forms:
- Oxide

For sleep/stress specifically:
- Glycinate
- Taurate

Because of the added glycine and taurine, respectively, these forms provide extra inhibitory signaling in the brain. Threonate as well, because it crosses the blood brain barrier well and Huberman said so.

Chloride is the best for general use in my opinion because it tastes good when mixed in drinking water, and can be used topically as a spray or added to a bath. It’s what I use to get the bulk of my daily intake. Also:

https://twitter.com/bowtiedneuron/status/1715085849182748988

A quick lesson in Biochemistry:

What is a Protein?

Thread🧵 Simply put, a protein is a string of amino acids chained together.

They make up so much of the body, that a basic understanding of them is required for a deeper understanding of human biology.

4 Mechanisms you Need to Know if you want to Enhance Dopamine via Nootropics

Thread🧵 1) Dopamine Reuptake Inhibition

The dopamine transporter (DAT) is located on the axon terminals of neurons that release dopamine.

Its primary function is to remove dopamine from the synapse once it has been released, ending the signal and making room for the next one.

How to leverage pharmacology to max out your learning and memory potential. (Top 6 supplements)

Thread🧵 **Disclaimer**

No this is not medical advice, don't take medical advice from strangers on the internet.

This thread is meant to be for educational purposes only, but I'm not your mom and cannot stop you from buying and trying various compounds.

Parkinson's disease affects over 1 million people in the US, and about 1% of the population over 60.

Here's everything you need to know about it👇🧵 The symptoms in Parkinson's stem from the
death of dopamine neurons in the Substantia
Nigra pars compacta (SNc), an area in the midbrain
that provides input to the striatum.

Dopamine neurons are naturally black
("nigra"), and you can see their loss in the image above.

Have you ever wanted to know how the 🧠 works?

Start here!

This 🧵 of 🧵 will teach you everything you need to know about neurons and how they communicate with each other. What is a neuron?

https://twitter.com/bowtiedneuron/status/1669800433332658187?s=46&t=rNSOmVVNhqbwDE81r3fx2w

The final step of neurotransmission is the removal of neurotransmitter from the synapse. This step is crucial as it terminates the current signal, making way for the next.

This happens are 3 main ways of removal, the last 2 being common drug targets🧵 When neurotransmitters are released they enter the synapse, the space between 2 connected neurons. They travel to receptors on the postsynaptic cell where they elicit a chemical or electrical change, this is the "signal" being sent.

Neurotransmitter receptor basics.

The two main types and their effects🧵👇 Receptors are extracellular neurotransmitter binding sites located on the postsynaptic cell. When neurotransmitters are released they can bind to these receptors, eliciting some effect in the postsynaptic neuron.

This effect is determined ENTIRELY by the receptor.

What is a neuron?

They're the simplest unit of our nervous system, which is comprised of almost 100 billion of them. These cells have a very unique structure specialized for the reception, conduction, and transmission of electrochemical signals.

Continued👇 The image above can give you a good idea of the anatomy of a stereotypical neuron.

Like all cells it contains a nucleus and other organelles needed to maintain life. What makes it unique are the protrusions off the soma, the dendrites and axons.

The molecular basis of neurotransmitter release.

Understand the inner workings of the axon terminal👇 Before we move on there are a few things you need to know:

-Vesicles are small storage bubbles made of the same material as the cell membrane

-Neurotransmitters are stored in vesicles in the axon terminal

-Voltage-gated ion channels only allow ions through at certain voltages